The 2024 World championships in Zurich had many standout moments, Tadej Pogačar’s 100 kilometre break and 50 kilometre solo stunned everyone, but there were also the Olympic/Worlds TT doubles by Remco Evenepoel and Grace Brown. There was tragedy too as the junior Swiss rider, Muriel Furrer died after crashing alone, which cast a dark cloud over the championships. We look at some of the ‘other’ stories from the 2024 Zurich World championships.
You can read the full ‘PEZ Race Report’ on the Men’s Race HERE, Women’s Race HERE and all the other news from Zurich in EUROTRASH HERE.
Pogačar ‘One of the Best’
Tadej Pogačar is one of the best riders of his generation, probably the best. The 26-year-old Slovenian won the Giro d’Italia,’ the Tour de France and then with his rainbow ride in Zurich, he took the ‘Triple Crown’ of cycling: Giro/Tour/Worlds in one season. Only two male riders had ever achieved this before: Eddy Merckx in 1974 and Stephen Roche in 1987. Annemiek van Vleuten also managed the triple in 2022.
For Pogačar this is yet another ribbon in his palmarès and puts him with the greats. You can’t compare the riders and races of present time with when Eddy was racing, the same as you couldn’t really compare Merckx to Fausto Coppi. The Slovenian will never be able to match Merckx. The racing is different, there are more top riders now and cycle racing has become a global sport, not dominated by the Europeans. Add to that, racing has changed, riders don’t compete as much as they used to, picking certain peaks. Grand Tour winners don’t ride Classics like they did in Merckx’s day, although this is where Pogačar differs – He can win just about anything – Although Paris-Roubaix might not happen.
Can you compare the greats?
The Other Two Favourites were Surprised
When Tadej Pogačar attacked from the peloton with just under 100 kilometres to go, most of the of the other rider looked at each other in disbelief. That’s not to say they slowed down, the Belgian team with a little help from the Netherlands chased for their leaders. As we saw, the Slovenians had Jan Tratnik in the break to launch Pogačar onto his solo victory – Text book stuff.
Remco Evenepoel was honest after the finish: “I thought it wasn’t going to happen so soon. I still had strong riders in the front at the time. Furthermore, I felt that you could still hide on the circuit to save energy and therefore not always have to be in the first ten”
Mathieu an der Poel: “I was a bit surprised. I thought it wasn’t Pogačar’s smartest move with all the control there was still in the peloton. However, he has proven the opposite.”
It was Evenepoel and Van der Poel’s race to loose:
Should Mathieu van der Poel be Disqualified?
Mathieu van der Poel has been criticised for a manoeuvre in final of the World championships in Zurich. Ex-pro and Eurosport commentator, Robbie McEwen was one of the most outspoken on the subject. Van der Poel jumped onto the pedestrian path at the side of the road to move to the front of the group.
“That is absolutely not allowed,” McEwen said at the time and then wrote on Instagram later: “I’m not condemning Mathieu. I will only explain what the current regulations entail. In my active career I have passed many riders on foot and bike paths, I would have gotten into trouble.”
McEwen is referring to Johan Price-Pejtersen, who lost his Danish time trial title in June because he rode on the bike path. Marlen Reusser was also DQ’d from Gent-Wevelgem for the same reason this spring.
Should Van der Poel be disqualified?
Pogacar had Special Socks
With an impressive solo, Tadej Pogačar added the World championship to his list of top wins. He did this with his special Colnago (see below), but also with special aerodynamic socks.
Aerodynamic socks have been around for a long time in the professional peloton, but Sockeloen, Jasper Ockeloen’s sock company, has developed ‘The Fastest Sock on the Planet’. These are three aerodynamic socks, which are developed for specific speeds and have a slightly different pattern, which would most efficiently allow the airflow to slide along the socks at that speed. In the Worlds road race, Pogačar used the 468 variant; according to Sockeloen the most aerodynamic sock at a speed of 47 kilometres per hour. The sock has a golden heel and a ribbed pattern along the calf. It appears that Pogačar bought the socks especially for the World champs, normally he wears the aerodynamic socks of UAE Team Emirates clothing sponsor Pissei.
Special socks for a special day:
Pogacar Gives Colnago the World Title After 20 years
Tadej Pogačar put the legendary bicycle brand Colnago in the spotlight yet again. The Slovenian has been putting the Italian bike brand on the front page since he started winning. Pogačar’s impressive Worlds victory on Sunday was the first for Colnago for 20 years. The last man to take the road rainbow on a Colnago was Oscar Freire in 2004, although Tatiana Guderzo won gold on a Colnago in 2009.
Colnago has a rich history in cycling and has worked with most of the big winners. Over the past 50 years, ten riders have won the World title on a Colnago bike. Eddy Merckx in 1974, Freddy Maertens in 1981, Joop Zoetemelk in 1985, and Johan Museeuw in 1996. With Pogačar’s victory, Colnago ties with Specialized, which has also won ten titles since 2002.
World Champs on a Colnago:
2024: Colnago (Tadej Pogačar)
2004: Colnago (Oscar Freire)
1998: Colnago (Oscar Camenzind)
1996: Colnago (Johan Museeuw)
1995: Colnago (Abraham Olano)
1985: Colnago (Joop Zoetemelk)
1982: Colnago (Giuseppe Saronni)
1981: Colnago (Freddy Maertens)
1974: Colnago (Eddy Merckx)
Pogačar has a special Colnago on the day:
Tadej Pogačar Almost Overslept Before the Worlds
Tadej Pogačar didn’t have the best morning of the World championship in Zurich. The World champion to be almost overslept. The start of the World Championships on the road was at 10.30 Swiss time, but the riders must have breakfast much earlier and start preparing for such a long race. Pogacar nearly missed the whole thing.
“We had to get up quite early and that doesn’t suit me at all,” he said afterwards at the press conference. “I had set three alarms. I automatically turned off the first one and fell asleep again. But a little later Urska (Zigart, Pogačar’s fiancée) happily woke me up.”
So it could have been completely different for the world champion…
Good job Urska woke him up:
Could Pogačar Win the Next Two Worlds?
If you look at the World championships for the next two years, you will see that Kigali, Rwanda in 2025, has 5,475 meters of climbing and in 2026 in Montréal, Canada, the course is based on the GP Montréal, which the Slovenian has won twice. This could be something that would animate Pogačar, who needs to have career aims. He could emulate Peter Sagan, who became World champion on the road in 2015, 2016 and 2017 – Could we have another three in a row.
2024 – The first of three for Pogačar?
The Sad Passing of Muriel Furrer
After the junior World championship race, it was announced that 18-year-old Swiss rider, Muriel Furrer, had crashed. She was taken to the University Hospital in Zurich with serious injuries. She died due to her injuries on Friday morning.
“It is with great sadness that the UCI and the organising committee of the World Championships in Zurich learned today of the tragic news that the young Swiss cyclist Muriel Furrer has passed away. With her passing, the cycling community has lost a rider with a bright future ahead of her. She fell heavily on Thursday and suffered a serious head injury before being flown to hospital.” The UCI and the organising committee announced.
According to the Swiss newspaper Blick, the seriously injured Furrer lay undiscovered on the course for a long time, but the UCI does not want to comment on these ‘rumours’. “I can’t say anything about it yet,” replied Olivier Senn, general manager at the UCI.
Her family must have been so proud to see her race on home roads in the World championships and then to lose her at such a young age.
Our condolences to all her family and friends from everyone at PEZ.
Taken far too young – Muriel Furrer:
# The season Isn’t finished yet, there is still Il Lombardia on October 12th, stay PEZ for all the action. #
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