cycling, Pogacar and Evenepoel national champions of Slovenia and Belgium

There are days when the champions shoulder the weight of an entire movement. Today was one of them. Because the road races of the Slovenian and Belgian national championships have turned into the garden of glory for Tadej Pogacar, 24, and Remco Evenepoel, 23, reigning world champion. Two triumphs of strength, at a distance, for a duel that has so far been sensationally missed in the great classics or in the laps.

In Slovenia Pogacar had already won his third time trial title on Thursday, his first race back after breaking his left wrist on April 23 in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Well. Today’s road race was the last test for the UAE leader Emirates before the Tour de France, which will start on Saturday 1 July from Bilbao (Spain). Tadej attacked in the last 20 km and arrived alone, acclaimed by his fans, with 38″ over Luka Mezgec; Matej Mohoric third at 4’56”. With the national champion jersey that he had never worn in his phenomenal professional career, Pogacar will go in search of a third triumph in the Tour de France after those of 2020 and 2021, and the challenge with the Danish Jonas Vingegaard, king in 2022, who instead he missed the national test.

In Belgium In Izegem, the national championship was a classic. Distance of 230 km, final average speed almost 45 per hour, challenge between Evenepoel and Van Aert, who had won the time trial (Remco had fallen in the rain). Today Evenepoel transformed the race into a small Liège and after several attacks he left with Alec Segaert, 20 years old, the Flemish winner of the first stage of the Giro Next Gen and for two days in the pink jersey. Third at 19″ Jasper Stuyven, winner of the Sanremo 2021. Evenepoel, who is the symbol of the Soudal-Quick Step, is once again rewriting the history books: it was since 1939 with Marcel Kint that a Belgian had not won the national title as champion of the reigning world. Remco will not race the Tour de France and from Saturday he will go with his group to train at high altitude in the Dolomites, at the San Pellegrino pass, as in the past. Here he will prepare for the double World Championship in Glasgow in Scotland: 6 August line and August 11 stopwatch.