"This was one of the toughest races I've ever ridden" - Tadej Pogacar gives his all but can't claim World Championship win

The 2023 World Championship road race may go down in history as one of the most exciting for fans but one of the most brutal for the riders. Tadej Pogacar gave his absolute all, even edging out Mads Pedersen in a sprint for third but couldn't claim the Rainbow Jersey.

“I realized that Mathieu was too strong, but I still wanted to go for second place and tried to save as much energy as possible. That's why I didn't fully chase anymore, that I occasionally skipped a turn," the Slovenian admitted afterwards in his post-stage interview. “I also realized that I wasn't the strongest of the three, because I couldn't get away from them on the climbs. They were a bit too short for me.”

As mentioned the race was an incredibly brutal one with an unrelenting pace throughout the day (other than when the race was halted by protests), and as Pogacar says himself, it wasn't an especially enjoyable day on the bike.

“Whether I enjoyed it? Phew, no. This was one of the toughest races I've ever ridden," he says. "It was really crazy. I enjoyed it up to 70 kilometres from the end, after that it was a struggle to the finish,” but finish Pogacar did, in third behind winner Mathieu van der Poel and runner-up Wout van Aert to complete an elite level podium.