World Championship 2025: Men’s RR, September 28

[Armchair Cyclist]

OMG Now I see that Christen finished 29th out of 30. Christen was fourth with four laps to go.

The shockwaves of his explosion must have been felt in Switzerland.

6th, possibly, certainly not anywhere near Evenepoel/Healy/Skjelmose

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

First Irish medal since Roche completed the hattrick incoming.

Kelly got a bronze a couple of years after Roche's win.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Kelly got a bronze a couple of years after Roche's win.

Hence why I deleted that post a minute after posting, does it not show as deleted if you're a moderator?

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Hence why I deleted that post a minute after posting, does it not show as deleted if you're a moderator?

Ooops. It does show as deleted, but I can still peek at it. And having peeked, I'd forgotten that I was peeking rather than reading what everyone can. Sorry.

 

[AlfaLum]

Interesting. Because he has a bit of a fit during a race, his explanations when asked direct questions in post-race interviews about what happened...are "excuses". But for others it's fine.

Makes sense.

Well I am not the one saying he is making excuses. But the tantrums he has now and then just have an impact on public opinion.

 

[Andy262]

Couldn’t agree more with those congratulating the Rwandan organisers and people. They were tremendous. Total respect for the event and the riders.

Pogi wins until the chasers are prepared to bury themselves working together to keep up. And then he probably still wins anyway. Best rider of my lifetime. I’m too young to remember Merckx but he’s the only comparison.

 

[awavey]

It sounds like the result should possibly be asterisked due to multiple riders having sore butts, either from diarrhea or from riding on the wrong saddles.

It's lucky they provided all those portable loos then

 

[hayneplane]

OMG Now I see that Christen finished 29th out of 30. Christen was fourth with four laps to go.

The shockwaves of his explosion must have been felt in Switzerland.

Not even close. He attacked but that was out of the Roglic group when there was still 5 riders ahead chasing Pogacar so at best he was 7th on the road briefly.

 

[Andre]

I can't understand how Tadej was able to stay in front of Remco for so long.

 

[Danskebjerge]

A rider like Charmig could have increased his number of UCI points by 10 percent just by completing the race. I wonder why he and many other riders gave up on that?

 

[Red Rick]

I'm pretty sure G3 and later G4 had some funny business in that they more stopped riding than that they were all completely dead, which makes sense considering they probably didn't pace at all on the flats/descends and then kept trying to get seperation on the Kimihurara alone.

 

[Red Rick]

I can't understand how Tadej was able to stay in front of Remco for so long.

Simple answer is he's just much stronger.

The slightly more nuanced answer is that there was more than enough up and downhill in the circuit to favor him. Assuming he's just stronger on the uphills, especially on Kimihurara, and then on the downhills they're not pushing threshold so he's recovering and even if Evenepoel gains some time back due to superior aerodynamics it's just less time because they're both going sub threshold on a downhill.

 

[Andre]

Simple answer is he's just much stronger.

The slightly more nuanced answer is that there was more than enough up and downhill in the circuit to favor him. Assuming he's just stronger on the uphills, especially on Kimihurara, and then on the downhills they're not pushing threshold so he's recovering and even if Evenepoel gains some time back due to superior aerodynamics it's just less time because they're both going sub threshold on a downhill.

...sounds right

 

[Peyroteo94]

I can't understand how Tadej was able to stay in front of Remco for so long.

Because Pogacar is >>>>> Remco>>>>>> others in hilly classics.

 

[HashRouge]

Simple answer is he's just much stronger.

The slightly more nuanced answer is that there was more than enough up and downhill in the circuit to favor him. Assuming he's just stronger on the uphills, especially on Kimihurara, and then on the downhills they're not pushing threshold so he's recovering and even if Evenepoel gains some time back due to superior aerodynamics it's just less time because they're both going sub threshold on a downhill.

This. It was very different to the TT and Remco wasn't able to maintain a consistent effort. It looked to me like the climb was costing Remco just a fraction more than Pogacar each time, and then Remco needed a little bit more recovery on the downhill sections, so wasn't able to take as much advantage out of his aero abilities as he would have liked.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Biggest conclusion from these worlds:
- A good Remco is head and shoulders above everyone else in TTs
- A good Pogacar is head and shoulders above everyone else in hilly classics

 

[awavey]

It sounded in Pogs interview post race he wasn't recovering as much as expected, so maybe Remco just checked out sooner than he needed to ?

 

[Berniece]

- A good Pogacar is head and shoulders above everyone else in hilly classics

Hilly classics? This WC had as many meters in altitude as the hardest TDF mountain stages.

 

[Andy262]

Maybe next year Remco will challenge Pog for De Ronde. I can’t believe he’s never raced it.

 

[Red Rick]

A rider like Charmig could have increased his number of UCI points by 10 percent just by completing the race. I wonder why he and many other riders gave up on that?

How far was he back?

The circuit isn't that long so if you're down like 22 minutes by the time you get to the penultimate lap you're already caught and taken out.

 

[Lequack]

Managed to watch a replay since I was out during the race. Chapou again to Pogacar for winning the world champs in fantastic fashion with a daring solo. Yes we might have been robbed of a proper duel for the medals, but it was entertaining in its own way.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jkdp1zh5qk

 

[Oldman]

Fantastic Worlds! Rwanda delivered big time. I received a slap on my face with this people in Rwanda. I was expecting much more chaos, bad behaviours from fans but no, no one was on the road, too close from riders, massive crowds, many happy fans, music, smiles, great landscapes! I enjoyed and expect Worlds come here sooner than later!

They were exceedingly excited and respectful. Their continental riders put out huge effort in the face of a course that favored just a handful.

 

[Pantani_lives]

Pidcock finished 10th at 9'05". That seems to be the biggest gap since 1968.

 

[James M]

I like history as much as Pogacar. I am happy I get to witness some of these events..
I didn't love Tom Brady .. I loved Wayne Gretzky..still do.. Sports history is fun when you get to watch it..

Preach im with you. Witnessing history is nothing but a joy to me as well. These performances will be remembered for decades. Thirty ++ years from now, they'll speak of him and this like it's the holy grail, and we get to experience it firsthand. I truly enjoy it, whats not to love (whoever name that would be)

I can also appreciate and enjoy close competition I like both. But I guess the ones disliking Pogacar, well every big race I can see them having a hard time but thats a self inflicted emotional problem imo.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

Watched the last 40km live. Just watched 105km - 85km to see Mt Kigali and the mur and Remco's bike changes. A couple replies / echoes to posts I just caught up on, as well as some further thoughts at the bottom for anyone interested.

That's a thing?
Surely the riders who did finish shouldn't be punished because only a few did.

Totally agree. I would go further. Shouldn't riders who finished get extra points?

Sack up, Del Toro. The "fans" will be coming for you too if you keep losing to Pogi. Can't have excuses like "stomach problems"

Oh wait...that only applies to Remco.

Interesting. Because he has a bit of a fit during a race, his explanations when asked direct questions in post-race interviews about what happened...are "excuses". But for others it's fine.

Makes sense.

Commenting on both of these at the same time. Look, I get Remco gets a lot of chatter, but do you really think that people only question Remco? I've read theories on this board that Roglic intentionally crashed in the 2024 Tour to get the same time as Remco due to the 3km rule, as if that would be more advantageous to him than just riding the next 3km with him. I've seen Wout called washed even with his knee looking like a bear mauled him. On and on...someone gives an excuse, someone on this board is going to challenge it.

The three main differences I see with Remco, and this is coming from a semi-fan, definitely not a hater:

1. They happen a lot. (He also wins a lot, often in dominant fashion.) But when he doesn't win, it is often due to some sort of dramatic collapse.
2. Those dramatic collapses are generally dramatic not just due to the magnitude of the swing in fortune (e.g., standing on the side of the road for 30 seconds today, dropping huge time in this year's Tour, the time Roglic attacked in the Vuelta and he just went poof), but also for the way in which he reacts. He kicks things, throws things, shakes his head, yells, gestures. I don't really mind it, as it comes from a competitive spirit, and I kind of like the passion that is never far from the surface, but I get why people react to this.
3. He is very quick to say, I would have won if not for...I'm not sure he said that here, but he has said things like that on multiple occasions. Sometimes he has likely been right, but that shapes the narrative a bit.
4. It is also not always clear that the mechanicals are real. Or that they should have impacted him the way they did. For example, in his gold-winning road race, he was convinced he'd had a mechanical when he had not. He had a flat tire in that 2022 Vuelta that was a little sus (saved by 3k rule). Today, honestly, I watched the replay looking for signs that his saddle was low and couldn't find any. His leg angle looked perfectly normal to me. What I did notice was that everyone around him was standing up, and he was still seated. On such steep grades with a low saddle, why wouldn't you stand up like everyone else? His second bike, which he was so adamant was off that he was willing to spend 30 seconds on the side of the road kicking air rocks, was not off (it was in his head).

My honest take is that the mechanicals were highly dramatized. He might have had a tiny slip of the saddle on the first bike, but nothing catastrophic. I think he thrives on being the attacker on the front and mentally when someone is pushing the pace on him and he feels discomfort, he has a really hard time mentally. It feels harder for him than the same pace would with himself pushing. It gets in his head. He searches for a reason. It must be the tires, the gears, the seat height. Once his head gets settled, if it does, he returns to force. We've seen this many times. He is unstoppable except by himself (and by Pogi).

I promise I'm not trying to slam Remco or read the worst in it for him out of hate. This is my honest take, coming from someone who voted for him in the poll and wanted him to win. (I didn't think Roglic was a serious candidate, so I didn't bother emotionally investing in him).

But Del Toro doesn't have football background, Evenepoel has. We can forgive him a bit hand waving and such things.
Oh, and complaining after the race, of course.

The soccer background honestly might explain a lot.

Fantastic Worlds! Rwanda delivered big time. I received a slap on my face with this people in Rwanda. I was expecting much more chaos, bad behaviours from fans but no, no one was on the road, too close from riders, massive crowds, many happy fans, music, smiles, great landscapes! I enjoyed and expect Worlds come here sooner than later!

Yes, the crows were amazing. European fans could learn a lot from them.

Rwanda, the crowds, the fans, the atmosphere was absolutely a 10. Great to see and good for the sport.

Yes, great for the sport and for Rwanda. The association of Rwanda with some unsavory things is unfortunate, but that has nothing to do with its people.

Some other quick takes:

• I'm not an Ayuso fan, but when he stuck to Pogi's back wheel, I was surprised to find myself feeling stoked and cheering him on. That took guts. And then he hammered down the other side. Beautiful. But then the way the wheels came off all at once, like just total collapse. And then to somehow still finish top 10. Strange, classic ride for Juan. Overall, it made me more of a fan in some ways.
• Del Toro. Probably just working for Pogi, but he might just be a year or two from having the strength to ride with him. Maybe he thought he was already there. Clearly, he is good at punchy efforts and can ride the cobbles. What a talent.
• Ben Healy, what a guy. Shame he seems more like an eternal gutsy podium rider than a Monument winner. Love his style.
• Some names I didn't expect in the top 10 for sure. Impressive work for a race that only 20% of the riders finished.
• Roglic - positioning always gets him. He was nowhere to be seen on Kigali, clearly chilling at the back, not helping Pogi or himself. Must have ridden it plus the mur pretty well because he was right there at the top of the mur. Seemed like he rode pretty well. Not totally sure what he was doing here, to be honest. I guess he disrupted the chase some. I wish he'd tried to ride with Healy and co. when they rode away from the chase, but I guess he didn't have the legs.