Pogacar claims Tour of California title for UAE Team Emirates

Dubai: Tadej Pogacar has added his name to the history books at the Amgen Tour of California, becoming the youngest ever winner in the race’s history.

The UAE Team Emirates youngster, 22, successfully defended the lead on the final stage from Santa Clarita to Pasadena to pick up his first ever UCI World Tour win. In the final General Classification (GC) standings, Pogacar led by 16 seconds from his nearest competitor.

It has been a remarkable debut campaign for the Slovenian, who already boasts a stage and GC win at the Volta ao Algarve, and now adds to it with a stage and GC win in California.

Commenting on the win, Pogacar said: “Today was amazing, and it has been all week. I’d like to thank all my teammates and the staff. The team worked very hard every day and this yellow jersey is not just for me but for the whole of UAE Team Emirates. The Mt. Baldy stage was the key moment for me, but this victory took the whole week to build up to. It’s the most beautiful victory of my career, and now I’m just going to focus on building and progressing as a rider.“