UAE Team Emirates XRG's Pogačar secures historic second at Paris-Roubaix race
ABU DHABI (WAM)
Tadej Pogačar of the UAE Team Emirates XRG became the first reigning Tour de France champion to podium Paris-Roubaix since Eddy Merckx in 1975.
After a breathtaking battle with Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), the world champion finished second in the Roubaix Velodrome, writing his way into the history books.
As Van der Poel was able to celebrate a third victory in a row, Pogačar overcame mechanicals and an unfortunate crash to cross the line alone in second. Behind the race debutant, his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Florian Vermeersch secured fifth place after a gutsy ride that saw him continue his fine spring Classics campaign.
After Pogačar, Van der Poel and Lidl-Trek's Mads Pedersen had blown the race to pieces heading into the Trouée d'Arenberg, it looked as though the winner might come from a select group. This became ever more likely as Pogačar and Van der Poel became a leading duo alone, but the world champion ran wide on a right-hand bend, allowing Van der Poel to take the initiative and ride to the finish alone.
Speaking to the media after the finish, the second-placed Pogačar reflected on a memorable debut outing at the Queen of the Classics. 'Today was a great race for our team, with two guys in the top five. We can come back next year with a strong team again and be motivated to fight for victory over the next few years.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
5 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
It's a privilege to share the court with you, Alcaraz tells Sinner after French Open classic
Carlos Alcaraz battled from the brink to outlast top seed Jannik Sinner 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(10-2) in a French Open final for the ages on Sunday to retain his crown and cement his status as the Prince of Clay in Roland Garros' post-Rafa Nadal era. In a scintillating showdown between the torch-bearers of a new generation, the 22-year-old Alcaraz saved three match points in the fourth set to continue his dominance over Sinner with his fifth straight victory and end the Italian's 20-match winning run at the majors. "I want to start with Jannik. It is amazing the level you have," said Alcaraz, only the second man in the professional era to win all of his first five Grand Slam singles finals after Roger Federer. "Congratulations for an amazing two weeks ... I'm pretty sure you're going to be champion not once, but many times. It's a privilege to share the court with you in every tournament, making history with you. "I'm just really happy to be able to make history with you in this tournament and in other tournaments." The duo, who have captured seven out of the last eight Grand Slams to stamp their authority on the men's tour, were locked in a fierce battle full of dramatic momentum shifts in the first major final between two men born in the 2000s. Alcaraz showed his steely determination to win the epic in five hours and 29 minutes - the longest final at Roland Garros - soaking up the ovation from a thoroughly entertained Parisian crowd long used to Nadal's reign during his run of 14 titles. Sinner held serve in a tense five-deuce opening game lasting 12 minutes, but was broken when he fired a forehand wide, before hitting back from 2-3 and going on to snatch an intense first set following an unforced error by Alcaraz. Relentless pressure from the baseline allowed Sinner to go a break up early in the second set and the top seed began to apply the squeeze on Alcaraz, who was on the ropes trailing 1-4 on a sunbathed Court Philippe Chatrier. An aggressive Alcaraz came out fighting and drew loud cheers when he drew level after 10 games and then forced a tiebreak but Sinner edged ahead with a blistering forehand winner and doubled his lead after the clock ticked past two hours. Alcaraz, who had never come back from two sets down, battled hard in the hope of avoiding his first loss in a major final and pulled a set back before saving three match points at 3-5 down in the fourth set, later restoring parity via the tiebreak. He traded breaks in the decider but prevailed in the super tiebreak to win the longest Paris men's final since tennis went professional in 1968 while Sinner had to digest a missed chance to add to his US and Australian Open wins after a doping case. Alcaraz fell to the ground before Sinner went over to his side of the court to congratulate him and the Spaniard then ran to the stands to hug his team and celebrate. Sinner had a contemplative look, sitting on his bench, and was gracious in defeat. "Carlos, congratulations on an amazing performance and an amazing battle. I'm happy for you. You deserve it," he said. "We tried our best today, we gave everything ... an amazing tournament even though it is very difficult right now. It is a big privilege for me to play here... I won't sleep very well tonight but it is okay."
The National
5 hours ago
- The National
Sinner v Alcaraz 2025 French Open final
Jannik Sinner went into the tournament at Roland Garros as the reigning US Open and Australian Open champion. EPA
Khaleej Times
6 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
French Open: Alcaraz wins five set epic against Sinner to clinch title
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz produced an epic fightback to clinch the French Open title with an unforgettable 4-6 6-7 (4/7) 6-4 7-6 (7/3) 7-6 (10/2) win over world number one Jannik Sinner at Roland Garros in Paris on Sunday. Despite losing the first two sets, Alcaraz, who saved three match points in the fourth set, fought back in a battle for the ages to clinch his fifth Grand Slam title.
