Four days can be a long time in cycling. Already this week, Tadej Pogačar has been on two training rides, raced against Kigali locals on rusty bikes, and welcomed his Slovenian road race team-mates to Rwanda. He's been crowded by fans, and stopped for selfies. Business as usual. And just like that, the disappointment of the time trial at the UCI Road World Championships feels like a distant memory.
Pogačar finished just one second off a medal in time trial last Sunday, after he was tagged and passed by Remco Evenepoel, who started two-and-a-half minutes behind. At the time, the Slovenian said the overtake was a “hard one to swallow”, but a long four days have passed, and he's now raring to put the “bad feeling” behind him, and keep his rainbow jersey.
