"I've seen how many watts I was putting out to follow him... It was just crazy" - Pavel Sivakov gives fascinating insight on Tadej Pogacar's historic World Championship win
Cycling
In the men's road race at the 2024 World Championships in Zurich, Tadej Pogacar put in a ride for the ages, attacking from 100km out and soloing to a first ever Rainbow Jersey victory for Slovenia. Frenchman Pavel Sivakov attempted to ride with his trade teammate but ultimately ended up flying too close to the sun and burning himself out.
"The World Championships were the most impressive thing I've seen in 2024. That was really crazy," recalls the UAE Team Emirates man via The Odd Tandem Cycling Podcast. "I was on his wheel and saw how many watts I was putting out to follow him... It was just crazy. That day stands out for me. Attacking with 100 kilometres to go with so many strong riders chasing you. That was historic."
Being trade teammates at UAE Team Emirates, Pogacar even tried to lend Sivakov a helping hand, waiting up for the Frenchman after he initially lost the wheel. "I felt good that day and I just wanted to follow him as long as possible. At a certain point I really believed in the podium," Sivakov recounts. "When he attacked on the climb I was able to follow him at first, but he dropped me just below the top. He looked back and waited. That was the moment he really 'squeezed' me to death. I completely burned myself out on his wheel."
More than likely because of his brave attempt to cling to Pogacar's back wheel for as long as possible, there was no podium for Sivakov in the end as he crossed the line in 35th, nearly seven minutes down on the rampant Slovenian.
"I couldn't even recover on the short descent, because you had to be very focused there. You don't recover then. I completely exploded, which ended my race," he concludes his tale. "That tells me how insanely good he was. I pushed such high wattages and he just did it again the following laps. Crazy to see."
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