Esther Imonmion
History was made in Kigali on Sunday as Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar powered to victory at the first UCI Road World Championship ever hosted on African soil, sealing his second consecutive world road race crown and completing what he called a “perfect season.”
The 26-year-old, already a Tour de France champion and the 2024 world champion from Zurich, conquered the gruelling 267.5-kilometre course in six hours, 21 minutes, and 20 seconds. With the triumph, he became the first rider in cycling history to win both the Tour de France and the world road race title back-to-back, further etching his name among the World Championship’s legends.
“It was a good experience coming here,” Pogačar said after the race, his face glistening with relief and joy. “The race was super hard, but really nice. We managed some beautiful rides this week, and today everything just came together.”
Behind him, Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, who had outpaced Pogačar in the time trial earlier on September 21, chased hard but fell short, finishing one minute and 26 seconds adrift. Ireland’s Ben Healy clinched third place after a late surge past Denmark’s Mattias Skjelmose, crediting Evenepoel’s relentless pace-setting for keeping the chasing group alive.
“We played really nicely together, but we just couldn’t close the gap,” Healy admitted. “When Tadej attacked, there wasn’t much left in our legs.”
The race was as punishing as it was historic. Out of the 165 riders who lined up at the start, only 31 reached the finish, a testament to the brutal nature of the Kigali course and the ferocious pace set by the frontrunners.
For Africa, hosting the World Championship for the first time marked a milestone for the sport’s global reach. For Pogačar, it was the crowning jewel of a season that has redefined dominance in modern cycling.