"This victory is for Sjoerd Bax"; Pogacar full of praise for heavily injured Dutchman after victory in Lombardy

Tadej Pogacar secured his third consecutive victory in the Tour of Lombardy in Bergamo on Saturday. The Slovenian from UAE-Team Emirates emerged triumphant in the Race of the Falling Leaves after a grueling race and dedicated the victory to his teammate Sjoerd Bax, who had suffered a serious fall.

In an interview with IDLProCycling.com at the Bergamo provincial palace, the victorious Pogacar shared his thoughts at length. "It was a culmination of everything. These races demand mental strength, physical fitness, and, of course, a bit of luck. It was my last race of the season, so I am at a loss for words to describe ending it this way – for the third year in a row," he said, as if he couldn't believe it himself. "It was an exceptional day, no doubt. The climbs were incredibly challenging, and the pace remained consistently high. So, I'm extremely pleased to finish the day with a victory."

Pogacar also experienced a cramp attack during the race, which he humorously mentioned afterward. "I had a cramp, so I tried to shake it out of my legs, hoping that the group behind me wasn't cooperating well. You can imagine how delighted I was when I reached the summit of the final climb," he said with a broad grin.

Pogacar regrets Bax's crash: "It's very unfortunate"

That cramp was nothing compared to the crash suffered by our teammate Bax from the Netherlands. The tough rider broke his femur in a collision with Remco Evenepoel, a topic on which Pogacar remained reserved when asked about it later. "It's very unfortunate what happened to him. Sjoerd was in excellent form, but regrettably, that's the nature of cycling... There were some skirmishes before the breakaway of the day, and I don't have all the details, but I've since learned that he broke his femur.

"I must say, this victory is also dedicated to Sjoerd," said the friendly Slovenian. "He's a fantastic teammate and a genuinely good person. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope he can still make the most of his offseason. When he's back in full form, I also hope he returns even stronger next season. He's incredibly talented, and I'm thrilled to be on the same team as him," concluded the Tour of Lombardy winner.