Don't sleep on Tadej Pogačar, he's a serious World Championship contender
The Slovenian is supremely confident at the moment, and so he should be

In the final 200m of Sunday’s Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, Tadej Pogačar opens up his sprint. He has wrestled a five-rider move clear and now, alongside his fellow escapees, he’s there contesting the win.
On his wheel sits Wout van Aert, perhaps the best bike racer in the world. A flat run-in like this is the Belgian’s bread and butter. The finish line draws nearer and spectators watch on, waiting for the Jumbo-Visma rider to come flying round the outside.
Except he doesn’t. He can’t. As Van Aert throws his bike across the line, Pogačar is already sitting upright in his saddle. He claps his hands together and punches the air triumphantly. The Slovenian, a two-time Tour de France winner, has just beaten Van Aert in a sprint. And it looked surprisingly comfortable, too.
Pogačar’s kick was vicious and powerful, but it wasn’t the most impressive part of his victory. Instead, it was his confidence that really caught the eye. In a reduced group with one of the peloton’s strongest sprinters, few would be foolish enough to drag him to the line.
Pogačar, however, is no fool. “I believed and I gave it everything and I succeeded,” he said after the race.
Sensing he had the edge on Van Aert, the Slovenian lashed mercilessly down the finishing straight, like a shark at the first sniff of blood. It’s this cold-blooded racing style that has come to characterise him in one-day events, even if it hasn’t always paid off.
Pogačar outfoxed at the Tour of Flanders 2022.
This year’s Tour of Flanders was one to forget for Pogačar. Having powered ahead on the Oude Kwaremont, the UAE Team Emirates rider found himself alone at the front of the race with only Mathieu van der Poel for company. The duo rode together into the finale, and though the chasers were bearing down on them, Pogačar sat up and refused to take a turn. As a result, he ended up coming fourth in what should have been two-up sprint.
In Montréal, Pogačar made sure to avoid the same mistake. He rode intelligently, conserving energy in the final kilometres, before taking matters into his own hands and dealing the fatal blow himself.
Due to his focus on stage-racing, Pogačar’s killer instinct in one-day events is often overlooked. Earlier this year, he became the first Tour de France champion to win Strade Bianche, adding another major one-day title to the two Monuments he collected the year before in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia. The Slovenian, just 23 years-old, already boasts a trophy cabinet that most classics specialists would be proud of.
By virtue of his palmarès, Pogačar should not only be considered as a favourite for this month’s World Championships, but also as one of the peloton’s most talented one-day racers.
“We can go to Australia with confidence,” Pogačar said of Slovenia after his victory in Montréal. “I hope for a good day in the Worlds. It’s a different course than today, it’s also a longer race and so it’s going to be really hard.”
As it stands, all eyes remain on Van Aert for the win in Wollongong, and understandably so. But with less than two weeks to go until the men’s road race, Pogačar is in form, self-assured, and, crucially, he knows he’s got the beating of the Belgian.
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is the host of The TT Podcast, which covers both the men's and women's pelotons and has featured a number of prominent British riders.
An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides.
He's also fluent in French and Spanish and holds a master's degree in International Journalism.
-
-
Cannonade’s Compact Neo e-bike: lots of style, moderate functionality, hard-to-beat price
We review Cannondale's smallest and lightest e-bike yet.
By Anne-Marije Rook • Published
-
Here's why we think Primož Roglič used a gravel groupset on Giro d'Italia's Queen stage
Primož Roglič used a gravel groupset on Giro d'Italia's Queen stage. Here's why.
By Joe Baker • Published
-
Glasgow Worlds launches 23 million miles challenge with 100 days to go until championships
Cyclists across the UK are being urged to tick off the miles through the Love to Ride app ahead of the mega-worlds
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Tweets of the week: AI Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogačar on draught, and Alison Jackson is back
Also, who subscribes to Twitter Blue? And Trek-Segafredo digitally age their ridersx
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Tadej Pogačar luxury watch thieves to serve time after Paris-Nice robbery
The Tour of Flanders champion is the latest cycling star to be robbed of a luxury watch
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Tadej Pogačar claims Kwaremont-Paterberg Strava KOM in Tour of Flanders romp
The two-time Tour de France winner took a host of Strava trophies in Flanders on Sunday
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Tweets of the week: When cycling goes mainstream, George Bennett loses his bike, and the sandy Saudi Tour
Two unknown cyclists went viral last weekend, it's a shame that we will never know their identities. All that, and more
By Adam Becket • Published
-
A deep dive into Tadej Pogačar's iconic helmet hair tufts
The Slovenian two time Tour de France champion harnesses his hair to great effect, but what's the secret?
By Adam Becket • Published
-
CW Live: Julian Alaphilippe to begin season with Faun-Ardèche Classic; Caleb Ewan confirmed for Milan-San Remo; autopsy confirms impact with truck killed Davide Rebellin; Remco Evenepoel to start 2023 at Vuelta a San Juan and UAE Tour dates confirmed
All the need to know news in cycling on 21 December
By Tom Thewlis • Last updated
-
Beating Argentina like outsprinting Van Aert and van der Poel says World Cup coach
‘We were with Van der Poel, Van Aert and Pogačar and we still crossed the line before them’ says Saudi Arabia coach Hervé Renard
By Tom Thewlis • Published