Bermuda’s Kaden Hopkins was one of 122 riders who failed to complete the road race at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Zurich on Sunday.

Hopkins pulled out after five of the seven laps as more than half of the 203 starters were unable to finish the punishing 273.9 kilometre route.

The race was won by Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, who became only the third man to win cycling's Triple Crown of the men's Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and world title in the same year.

The 26-year-old broke clear with 100km of the 273.9km route in Zurich remaining, leaving Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel and reigning world champion Mathieu van der Poel behind in the peloton.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself for today,” said the three-times Tour de France winner.

“I had pressure for myself and for the team. We came here for the victory.

“After a perfect season it was really a big goal to win a world championship and I just can't believe it happened.”

Pogacar finished in 6hrs 27min and 30sec, just over half a minute clear of Australia's Ben O'Connor, who broke off the front of the chasing pack to claim silver.

Van der Poel finished 58 seconds back in third after winning a sprint finish for bronze, beating fourth-placed Latvian Toms Skujins, while world time-trial champion Evenepoel was fifth and Swiss rider Marc Hirschi sixth.

A day earlier Nicholas Narraway also failed to complete the under-23 road race.