Tadej made another unforgettable day at the World Championships in Switzerland, marking a historic moment for both Slovenian and global cycling. In the 273.9-kilometer road race he attacked 101 kilometers from the finish, led the last 51.5 kilometers alone at the front and won his first rainbow jersey.
»I made a stupid move, at first I thought it was a shot in the knee, but in the end it worked, so now it’s not so stupid anymore. I had Jan Tratnik ahead of me, he waited for me, which really motivated me. When I saw I had a 40-second lead, I figured my chances were good as there were no more teams behind working together. Still there were some worries because you never know when your engine might shut down. Luckily it didn’t and it was an incredible day where I experienced all possible emotions,« Tadej described the journey to his 23rd victory of the year and 86th of his career. He was aided by a strong Slovenian team.
»The team was fantastic, every cyclist in the team did a perfect job. I am extremely happy to be with these guys, they left their hearts, souls, and legs on the road for this gold. We achieved this together, unfortunately we only race for the national team once a year. We have an amazing group with a great atmosphere, it was a pleasure to race, I am happy and proud of all our cyclists and the entire team,« Tadej thanked the other members of the national team, including his team mate from UAE Team Emirates Domen Novak.
»Tadej has a very good sense for other cyclists, he sees when they are tired. He attacks when he thinks they are slightly in crisis. One of his qualities is that he looks around the group, figures out which guys can’t keep up, and decides to attack,« Domen assessed the »madness« Tadej chose with his attack so far from the goal.
He surprised his competitors, who ultimately concluded that Tadej more than deservedly wore the rainbow jersey of the world champion for the first time. »As a child, I could not even dream of this, but rather of being at the start of the Tour or the World Championships. In recent years, as I was mainly chasing victories at the Tour and the Tour of Flanders, the World Championships were in the background, only this year I set it as a goal. The route and year were right this time, I gave it my all and this is more than a dream come true. I can’t wait for the next race to be able to start in this jersey,« Tadej revealed what the victory means to him. With it he won the triple crown of cycling.
In the same year he won the Giro, Tour, and World Championship, a feat that before him was only achieved by Eddy Merckx in 1974 and Stephen Roche in 1987. The legendary Irishman personally congratulated Tadej in Zürich, the Belgian cycling giant spoke about his achievement for various European media. »After the victory at the Tour, I thought about how Tadej is now above me, after what he achieved in Zürich, there is no more doubt,« Merckx told the French newspaper L’Equipe.
Tadej increased his lead at the top of the UCI rankings with the victory at the World Championships, amassing a record 11,690 points. We will likely soon see him race for the first time in the rainbow jersey, which he will wear for at least one year, until the 2025 World Championships in Rwanda. His competition calendar this season still includes Giro dell’Emilia, Tre Valli Varesine, and Il Lombardia, but he has not yet confirmed participation in all three. »There might be some changes, but I will definitely race in the rainbow jersey this year,« Tadej added.
Foto: Vid Ponikvar/Sportida