Tadej Pogačar claimed victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, marking his third title in the race and his second Monument win of the year. He made a decisive move on Côte de La Redoute, taking advantage of a weakened peloton due to earlier harsh pacing. With his main competitor, Remco Evenepoel, not fully fit, Pogačar finished over a minute ahead of the nearest rider. This victory concludes a successful start to his season, which includes multiple prestigious wins. He paid tribute to his girlfriend's late mother during the race, illustrating his personal connection to the event.
"It feels great to finish the first part of the season like this. I'm just happy that the whole season so far went perfect," Pogačar said shortly after adding Liège to wins at the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, Tour of Flanders, and La Flèche Wallonne.
"It wasn't the plan, but it was such a hard pace before that I saw a number of teams didn't have a lot of teammates anymore," Pogačar said.
"I said, 'OK, I'll test my legs a little bit and see if I can get a gap on the Côte de La Redoute.'"
He pointed to the sky in tribute to his girlfriend Urska Zigart's late mother, Darja, who died in April 2022. Pogačar also raced with 'For you, D' written on his race number.
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