Slovenia's cycling superstar en route to Monument greatness
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) rode to his third career Liège-Bastogne-Liège win and his ninth Monument victory with a 35-kilometre solo after shaking off his rivals on the Côte de La Redoute on 27 April, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.
"It's great to finish the first part of the season like this. I'm happy that the season has been perfect so far," the 26-year-old told the race organisers.
Just like last year the race was decided at La Redoute, just over 35 kilometres before the finish. Without expending much effort, he left his rivals behind to gain a ten-second advantage at the end of the 1.6-kilometre ascent and then only widened the gap.
"We didn't plan this, but the rhythm was so strong before La Redoute that the teams didn't have many helpers. Then I told myself I would test my legs and try to get some time at the top. Then I would decide whether to continue the attack. I committed to the attack because I had very good legs. It was the same on the next climb and I was able to lead myself to the finish."
Some 20 km before the finish, he was more than one minute ahead and he finished the race more than a minute clear of the Italian Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and Ben Healy from Ireland (EF Education-EasyPost).
He won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race for the first time in 2021 and then again last year.
Only one more monument is ahead this season - the Lombardia in October, which Pogačar has so far won four times in succession.
Pogačar is the first rider in history to take the podium at six monuments in succession. If he takes the podium in Lombardia in October, he will become the first cyclist in history to be in the top three at all monuments in a single season.
