UCI Road World Championships 2025 Elite Men's road race AS IT HAPPENED - Tadej Pogacar serves up another 100km solo attack to retain rainbow jersey

Ever the showman, he must have known he was going before he went on a maneuvers. Sad to see.

France have wound their neck in, somewhat, with the exception of Julien Bernard who made it across to the break, and there's an establishing of an order. The peloton has allowed our leaders to grow their gap to over two minutes, while Raul Garcia is still slogging away, some thirty seconds behind. I think he will make it eventually, but it will have cost him.

Sorry to alarm, I think he just had a mechanical and was taking his sweet time.

With four others including Seixas, Isaac Del Toro, Victor Campenaerts, and Harold Tejada. Strong riders to a man, but I think Fred is more on marking duties. This has started at a brutal pace, and Tom Pidcock was off the back just now. Slovenia are chasing everything.

Fifteen seconds ahead of the bunch, a minute behind the five breakers.

Aurelien Paret-Peintre tries an attack, with Paul Seixas also putting in a dig. The Slovenians aren't impressed. Nor is Victor Campenaerts. What's Slovenian for calm down, chaps?

I happen to know someone who has a tenner on him to make it three rainbow jersey today at 40-1. This probably doesn't help that bet, but always good to see him in a race. He won for the first time as a Tudor racer in Canada recently, of course. The attack doesn't last long.

It's not a composition that particularly concerns them, though they'll need to give it due respect. These are the two teams we expect to take responsibility today, with Remco and Pog in their ranks. First partial lap completed in about 20 minutes. 15 to go.

Whose climbing differences we're already starting to see on the cobbled Cote de Kimihurura.

Like yesterday, we're already seeing riders dropped.

Displaced by Huising, plus Mayrhrofer of Germany, Foldagers of Denmark, Switzerland's Fabio Christen, and Portugal's Ivo Oliveira. Lots of other major nations are active early on as well, as we reach the first climb of the day.

Menno Huising it is. There is the suggestion that it might be the day for satellite riders. The absence of long flat sections certainly reduces the benefit of having riders in front of your leaders to save you energy and pull any break back. We saw that yesterday to an extent, when the big favourites should have done some work but didn't.

And the attacks are immediate. The first comes from Grenada's Red Walters. He was registered with Great Britain until 2021, but has since been the Grenada national champion in both road and TT disciplines each year.

And the green jerseys of Slovenia are amassed around the race director's car. I'm not expecting them to send anyone into the break, though.

Firstly, the air is "weird", apparently. Obviously it's the same for all of them, but equally it will affect them all differently. Secondly, Fred Wright is going to be putting in the early shift for Team GB. Do with that what you will.

Magdeleine Vallieres, what a hero. Alison Jackson, what a team-mate.

The only thing I like more than an underdog success story is an underdog success story that comes about when bunch of favourites muck it up with only themselves to blame.

You don't have long, though. The race is set to get underway at 8.45 UK time.

Would have been 164 but Sam Oomen has fallen ill, which reduces the Dutch team to 6 riders.

It *may* have been a mistake to watch so much of the other races, because the sheer repetitive nature of this course has started to send me a bit doolally. In its defence it has led to some great racing.