Tadej Pogacar caps brilliant season with European road cycling crown
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Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar celebrating as he wins the the men's elite road race at the European Cycling Championship 2025.
PHOTO: AFP
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PARIS – Tadej Pogacar delivered a trademark 75km breakaway to win the European road race title in France on Oct 5, adding the stars jersey to the world title he won a week ago and his fourth Tour de France triumph in July.
The Slovenian was unrelenting in his solo rampage, only slowing to cruise across the line 31sec ahead of Remco Evenepoel, who attempted to push him all the way, while French teenager Paul Seixas was given a rousing welcome for bronze after finishing 3min 41sec adrift of Pogacar.
“Every year I want to be a better version of myself. Try to gain more experience, try different races and I am lucky enough to be in these kinds of races. I need to enjoy it for as long as I can,” Pogacar told reporters in Guilherand-Granges.
“Remco was really good and always chasing me and I could not give up until the finish line. I had to push really, really hard and I’m happy it’s over and another title.”
With Pogacar’s closest rivals Jonas Vingegaard and Evenepoel also lining up here, large crowds cheered the riders through 202km of narrow, winding roads in the remote Ardeche region, where a familiar scenario unfolded.
Decked out in his world champion’s rainbow jersey, the Slovenian broke away from an audacious distance.
But Belgium’s Olympic champion Evenepoel dug in for an admirable long-haul chase.
Vingegaard had already been dropped on a hill halfway through, as a collective Belgian effort at the head of the peloton whittled down the field to a dozen pretenders.
That attack decimated the Slovenian team around Pogacar.
“I saw I was losing teammates, it wasn’t the plan to go from there, but it had to be there, it was the hardest hill and that was my advantage there,” the 27-year-old said after the race.
As Pogacar opened a one-minute lead, Evenepoel teamed up with French 19-year-old Seixas to lead the resistance, and they were joined by Spain’s Juan Ayuso and Italy’s Christian Scaroni.
As Pogacar’s lead extended, Evenepoel accelerated away in pursuit of the leader, who signed a reported US$54 million (S$69.9 million) six-year contract last October with UAE Team Emirates.
“Second place again,” said Evenepoel, who also came in behind Pogacar at the world road race in Kigali, Rwanda on Sept 28.
“It’s always the same at the championships, the others didn’t want to work with me,” he said. “It’s a bit frustrating but they had their team orders, you have to accept it.”
Evenepoel won the time trial titles at the European and world championships in 2025, while he capped 2024 with the road and time trial gold medals at the Paris Olympic Games.
Behind them, Scaroni and Seixas duelled for third, with the emerging Frenchman given raucous support as he eventually dropped the dogged Italian.
France team coach Thomas Voeckler was visibly delighted with the bronze.
“There’s a lot of noise around him, and it’s understandable. What he just did was massive. Let him develop, and we’ll see how far he goes,” he said of Seixas.
Seixas was the youngest man in the field, a week after coming 13th at the world championships in Kigali.
Dutch rider Demi Vollering produced an irresistible series of attacks before soloing to victory in the women’s road race on Oct 4. AFP, REUTERS
