Pogacar looks wide-eyed at Van der Poel after "Walking Dead race": "Crazy guy..."

Pogacar felt dizzy in the mixed zone, but reappeared at the press conference with a fresh face. IDLProCycling.com  so wanted to know how the Slovenian was doing and what exactly had happened. "I felt very sick and had to go to the toilet, but now I feel a lot better than twenty minutes ago. Thanks for asking,' spoke the already mischievous Pogacar." All I wanted was to go to bed and do nothing. I had absolutely no energy left, was completely empty after the match. But by now I feel good again."

The newsroom responded with reassurance, after which Pogacar shared his thoughts on the course he had just ridden. "It was one of the toughest races I've ever experienced. I must say I am very happy to be on the podium next to these guys," the Slovenian said. "I dreamed about a gold medal, but Mathieu was the strongest."

In the end, Pogacar battled with Van Aert and Mads Pedersen for the remaining World Cup podium spots, successfully keeping the Dane behind him. 'Sprinting against Wout and Mads is normally a mission impossible, but after 270 kilometers, anything could still happen. It was a Walking Dead race; in reality, we all deserved a medal. Mads just as much, but unfortunately, there are only three to give away," the UAE-Team Emirates rider showed his respect for his Danish rival."

All in all, Pogacar can look back on a great race. I enjoy races in cities. When I was young, we often participated in these kinds of criteriums. The curves in the city, the ups and downs... it's beautiful. In the local rounds, there were countries with more riders than we had with Slovenia, but it still came down to a man-to-man contest in the last kilometer.

At that moment, the winner, Van der Poel, came running in, and Pogacar addressed his rival. "He's a crazy guy; what he did was amazing. No one had any answer to his acceleration either. The way he rode away and then, after his crash, just continued to the finish line with a lead. He just said: "Goodbye, guys".... It's really well-deserved, this victory," Pogacar said with praise, seemingly even slightly embarrassing the somewhat accustomed Van der Poel. The Dutchman nodded respectfully to his rival."