Tadej Pogacar claimed his fourth Liege-Bastogne-Liege title on Sunday, edging out 19-year-old French rider Paul Seixas in the final 14 kilometres of the 260km race. The world champion broke away from Seixas on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, the last of 11 climbs, maintaining his pace on the steep ascent where the teenager finally cracked. Seixas finished 45 seconds behind, while Remco Evenepoel took third place in a sprint from a group that crossed 1 minute 42 seconds after Pogacar.
This was Pogacar's 13th Monument victory and third consecutive win at La Doyenne, following earlier triumphs this season at Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders. He has now won four races in 2024 from just five starts, with his only defeat coming in second place at Paris-Roubaix two weeks prior. "I don't have a lot of opportunities to win because I don't race a lot," Pogacar said. "So it's a lot of pressure for me to deliver on days like today."
Seixas, racing in his first Liege-Bastogne-Liege, had matched Pogacar's pace on the Cote de la Redoute, 35km from the finish, impressing the Slovenian who admitted he expected a sprint duel. The Frenchman had won the midweek Fleche Wallonne and previously placed seventh at the 2023 Tour of Lombardy, his only other Monument appearance. Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates controlled the peloton after an early crash split the field, reeling in a breakaway after 160km.
Pogacar claims pressure is high due to racing infrequently, yet he remains undefeated in Monuments this season while skipping most of the calendar. Seixas pushed him closer than any other rider but cracked under the same pace Pogacar calls difficult to sustain. If consistency demands more races, Pogacar's dominance rests on doing less than his rivals. The heir apparent may need not just strength, but the same selective schedule to dethrone him.
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