Tadej Pogacar in Kigali stopped just short of the podium and his defeat turned into a stunning setback with Remco Evenepoel's extraordinary domination of the world championship.

"Of course, I'm disappointed, Remco beat me, but he was incredible, he's been truly great this season" - Pogacar said in the mixed zone after the race - "I finished just a second from the podium and this is a bittersweet result, because perhaps if I had known it would end like this, I would have had a bit more motivation, but I couldn't know and today I'll probably regret it, but tomorrow is a new day and I'm very happy".

His gaze is already looking forward: "Tomorrow is a new day and this certainly wasn't my best time trial performance, but just before Canada I couldn't complete my time trial training block, but I'm very confident for next Sunday's race".

The time trial course over 40 km was not very technical, and to win one had to keep pushing on the pedals even on downhill sections. The road race will be different, with much more elevation, making it perfect for a rider like Pogacar.

"The course was nice, and it was important to maintain position even downhill because we were going very fast. We raced at altitude and this affected such a fast course. It was a fast course with many irregularities and now I can't wait to race the road race".

Preparing for a world championship is never easy, as many factors can influence the result. Like the preparatory races, and Pogacar chose to race in Canada to fine-tune his preparation. "Now I just need to do two more hard training sessions and then I'll be ready for Sunday. Regarding my preparation, if we talk about time trial circumstances, I definitely should have skipped Canada, but after getting sick before flying to North America, I preferred to skip some important training sessions rather than the time trial. For the road bike it's a different matter. I knew that if I wanted to be 100% for the road race, I needed to go to Canada: so I think that trip was a good choice for next Sunday's race".

Pogacar turned 27 today and is not disappointed about not winning a medal on his birthday, thinking that last year when he won the world title it was his brother Tilen's birthday, and this year the same thing might happen.

And finally, a last comment about Remco: "When he caught me, I wanted to follow him but couldn't. I hope that for this time trial Remco was at 100 percent and at the same time I hope he's at 99 percent for next Sunday's race".