Slovenia's Tadej Pogačar crowned a dream season by winning the World Championship road race after an enormous 100-kilometre unplanned solo attack.

The 26-year-old finished the 273.9-kilometre race on 18 September 34 seconds ahead of the Australian Ben O'Connor and with 58 seconds on last year's champion, Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands.

Pogačar has already won the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France this year. Only two others riders have ever managed that plus the World Championship, the Belgian Eddy Merckx in 1974 and the Irishman Stephen Roche in 1987.

"I cannot believe what just happened," said Pogačar, the first Slovenian rider to win a World Championship, who admitted that he put a lot of pressure on himself after such a season and had come to Switzerland for victory.

"After a perfect season, it was a big goal to win the World Championships and I can't believe it happened, I have to thank the whole team, without them it would not have been possible and I'm super proud of the national team," he said.

Pogačar also confirmed that his attack with 100 kilometres had not been planned.

"The race unfolded pretty quickly and there was a dangerous break in the front, I maybe did a stupid attack, luckily Jan [Tratnik] was there with me and I never gave up until the final," he said about his compatriot.

"Of course it was not planned. We had planned to keep race under control but the race went quite early and I don't know what I was thinking and I just went also, I went with the flow and luckily I made it, but it was so tough."

This was the 86th career win for Pogačar. This year alone he notched up 23 victories.