"They were a bit surprised when Pogacar attacked. They thought: 'Oh, we still have time'" - Jose De Cauwer believes Belgium could have done more in Zurich

Tadej Pogacar was at his brilliant best on Sunday afternoon in Zurich, romping to a first Rainbow Jersey victory of his illustrious career via an attack 100km out. Could the Slovenian's rivals have done more in the chase though?

Belgian cycling expert Jose De Cauwer certainly believes his nation could have reacted to Pogacar riding off into the sunset slightly differently. "They were a bit surprised when Pogacar attacked. The Belgians thought: 'Oh, we still have time,'" he explains in his post-race analysis for Sporza. "If they made a mistake, it was that the Belgians were too quick and too eager to close the gap from the start. The riders were used up too quickly. And there was too little discussion among the chasing countries."

Nevertheless, De Cauwer had plenty of praise for Pogacar's performance, although he does question the spontaneity of it. "Pogacar says it was an attack on instinct, but he does let one of his best domestiques ride full speed. There may have been a plan behind it, with Jan Tratnik also in a subservient role. Although it would be a very far-fetched plan. Who knows..." he ponders.

"Was this a nice championship? Not for me. Rather a confusing championship with the questions that arise: can this be done for cycling? Isn't this a bit over the top? But it will stay with me forever, the way in which he wins this World Championship," he adds. "Nobody is discussing the grandeur of this victory. All the riders say chapeau. As a pure cycling fan you should be able to enjoy this."

So good was Pogacar's World Championship victory, the Sporza commentator puts it at the top of the list of the Slovenian list of accomplishments in his glistening career. "I place this number at the very top of Pogacar's career," De Cauwer concludes his assessment.