Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE) won Tirreno-Adriatico on Sunday for the second year in a row, after a week of racing which he dominated head and shoulders to confirm his impressive start to the season.
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE) won Tirreno-Adriatico on Sunday for the second year in a row, after a week of racing which he dominated head and shoulders to confirm his impressive start to the season. Less than a week from the classic Milan-Sanremo, the first of the “Monumentsof the year, the newcannibal” of the peloton already has seven successes in his bag after having shone in the UAE Tour (two stages and the final victory) and having flown away on the gravel paths of the “White roads».
The general classification of therace of the two seas“Did not change on Sunday after the 7th and last stage won in a sprint by the German Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain) on the Adriatic coast in San Benedetto del Tronto (Marche). Pogacar, 23, retained his crown with mastery and panache, both solid during the inaugural time trial (3rd) and unrivaled to win the two most difficult stages, Thursday at Bellante then Saturday on the slopes of Monte Carpegna where Eddy Merckx shone during the Tour of Italy in 1973.
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On Saturday, the one who is being compared more and more to the Belgian legend once again disgusted the competition by relegating in particular to more than 4 minutes his main rival Remco Evenepoel, ejected from the final Top 10 after having nevertheless remained in the wheel of the Slovenian until at this penultimate stage. “We did a great job as a team, I’m very happy to win“Commented hotly the double winner of the Tour de France, just before receiving again the trident of Neptune given to the winner.
Dane Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo) is Pogacar’s runner-up overall, as in the last Tour de France, and Spaniard Mikel Landa (Bahrain) takes third place, like last year in the “race of the two seas“. World champion Julian Alaphilippe, arrived with some pain after his spectacular fall on the “White roads“, he especially rode for Evenepoel during these seven days in Italy. Milan-Sanremo, which he won in 2019, will undoubtedly be more of an opportunity for the Frenchman to replay the leading roles.
On condition, however, of being able to follow Pogacar who, if he assured on Saturday never to think of being “unbeatable“, does not really seem determined to leave crumbs to the competition: “I can’t wait, although obviously it’s going to be a very different race“, underlined the Slovenian.
