"Now the adrenaline has worn off and I'm starting to feel a lot of pain" - Tadej Pogacar bloodied and bruised but unbeatable once again at Strade Bianche 2025

Tadej Pogacar has achieved what was arguably the most impressive victory of his illustrious career on Saturday afternoon. Having crashed 50 km from the finish line, the world champion managed to reattach and then Tom Pidcock before soloing to his expectedly dominant win.

"I enjoyed it until I crossed the finish line," the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader reflected in his post-race interview, able to smile about the crash now, having won. "Now the adrenaline has worn off and I'm starting to feel a lot of pain. It’s not the best way to win a race, but a win is a win. Let’s hope it’s nothing worse than it looks. All should be fine."

As to the reason for the fall, he is clear that he was going too fast. He subsequently became concerned: "I was going very fast I think, I know these roads very well, I've ridden them 20 times in my life. Sometimes you lose your mind, I don't know, I slipped. These things happen. I didn't know if I was okay. The bike was broken and I had to change it. I was worried because after a fall your body takes a lot out of you but I was still far enough ahead to finish the race."

Despite what happened, the Strade Bianche 2025 was the fastest in history. The Slovenian wanted to highlight the work of his team, which also ended with the additional prize of Tim Wellens' third place at the finish line: "It was a great race, it was very much a race, with a breakaway at the start, with our guys doing a great job at the front, it was very tough."