'S*** happens' - Triumphant Tadej Pogacar suffering 'a lot of pain' after dramatic crash in Strade Bianche win

Tadej Pogacar overcame a dramatic crash that left him battered and bloodied to capture victory at Strade Bianche. Pogacar jumped up from the high-speed wipe-out and immediately climbed back on a new bike, eventually chasing down Tom Pidcock. The Slovenian soon began to feel the effects of the crash after the race, admitting he was in "a lot of pain" once the adrenaline subsided.

'I went too fast' – Pogacar on dramatic crash at Strade Bianche before stunning comeback

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Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) said he was in "a lot of pain" after his crash at Strade Bianche.

The Slovenian emerged from his crash on a descent bloodied and on a new bike, and wrestled back control to claim victory in Siena.

The crash took place 50km from the finish while he was battling with Q36.5 rider Tom Pidcock, who later sat up and waited for Pogacar to return to the front of the race.

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Roughly 30km later, the three-time Tour de France champion strode away from his rival to take the win.

After crossing the line at Siena's Piazza del Campo, Pogacar's "adrenaline wore off" and "pain" began to set in.

"I enjoyed it until I crossed the finish line," Pogacar said. "The adrenaline wore off and now I start to feel a lot of pain. Not the best way to win a race, but every win is a win, so let's hope it's nothing more than it looks."

Pogacar bounces into hedge in dramatic crash, Pidcock stays up

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Reflecting on the crash, Pogacar said: "I went too fast, I guess. I know this road very well. Sometimes you misjudge, and I don't know, I just slipped and s*** happens."

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After his back wheel slid out from under him and sent him crashing into a hedge, the 26-year-old jumped up from the crash with scrapes across his left arm and leg and immediately got back in the saddle, only to notice an issue and request a new bike.

"For a moment, I didn't know if I'm okay," Pogacar said. "The bike was not working, so I had to change the bike.

"I was a bit worried because when you crash the body takes a lot from you. But I had enough to finish it off.

"Pretty good race today. The race was super fast, it was a really strong breakaway and our guys did super amazing work in the front. We just went fast and it was a really hard race."

'Battered and bruised' - Pogacar rides away from Pidcock with decisive attack

Video credit: TNT Sports

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