"Briefly tested the legs": Pogacar once again mercilessly drives the competition into the ground

"Briefly tested the legs" Pogacar once again mercilessly drives the competition into the ground 28.04.2025, 06:03

Tadej Pogacar is unstoppable again. The world champion crowns his fantastic spring Classics season with his third victory at cycling's oldest monument. "It feels great to end the first part of the season like this," he says.

As Tadej Pogacar crossed the finish line after his next solo performance, he raised his index finger to the sky. The world champion dedicated his third triumph at Liège-Bastogne-Liège to the mother of his partner Urska Zigart, whose death had been commemorated three years ago shortly before the start of the 111th edition of cycling's oldest monument. Then Pogacar allowed his team to celebrate.

The Slovenian crowned an impressive spring of classics with his ninth Monument victory. Concluding the Ardennes trilogy, Pogacar prevailed in unparalleled style after a 35-kilometer solo effort. After 2021 and last year, Pogacar was once again unstoppable in Liège. "It feels great to end the first part of the season like this. It's been going perfectly so far. I'm happy to be going home," Pogacar said in the winner's interview.

"I thought I'd test my legs"

Pogacar attacked like he did a year ago on the steep Côte de La Redoute. None of his competitors, including the poorly positioned and exhausted double Olympic champion and two-time Liège winner Remco Evenepoel, as well as mountain bike gold medalist Tom Pidcock, could follow. "I thought I'd test my legs," Pogacar said with a grin. "Then I kept going."

Giulio Ciccone (Italy/Lidl-Trek) finished second in the 252-kilometer "Doyenne" with eleven short but extremely steep climbs, ahead of Ben Healy (Ireland/EF Education Easy-Post). He was 1:03 minutes behind Pogacar. Evenepoel finished more than three minutes back in 59th place. The best German was Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Wanty) of Augsburg in 48th place. Dietrich Thurau (1979) remains the only winner from Germany.

Following in Merckx's footsteps again

Pogacar is only the second rider to win in Liège after victories at the Tour de France and the World Championship the following year. The first was Eddy Merckx, with whom Pogacar has long been compared. Like the Belgian legend in 1969 and 1975 and the Irishman Sean Kelly in 1984, the 26-year-old also managed to finish on the podium at each of the first four Monuments of a year. But it's always the case with such exceptional riders: doubts about these gigantic achievements always accompany them.

Pogacar concluded his Classics campaign this spring with victories at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Flèche Wallone, and the Tour of Flanders, after having already won the Strade Bianche in early March. He finished second in his Roubaix debut and the Amstel Gold Race, and third at Milan-San Remo. He never missed the podium. Pogacar's next race is expected to be the Critérium du Dauphiné in June before attempting to defend his Tour de France title.

The race was dominated for much of the race by a twelve-man breakaway, but it gradually disintegrated. The last breakaway rider was caught 60 kilometers from the finish, and the big Pogacar show followed.