Pogacar will not be at the Paris Olympics. Fatigue or has it to do with Urska Zigart's non-call-up?
Cycling
The Slovenian Cycling Federation decided not to call Urska Zigart, the country's road and time trial champion, to the Olympic Games. This happened more than two weeks ago. At the same time her fiancée Tadej Pogacar was, unsurprisingly, among those selected for the men's road race.
Yesterday, we learned that Pogi, after winning Giro and Tour, will not ride in Paris and in the world press they talk about "fatigue" after chaining the two grand tours as the main reason for his non-attendance. However, Relevo give another reason: Pogacar is not going to the road race of the Games angry about the non-call of his partner, the best Slovenian in the UCI ranking.
According to Relevo, Pogacar assured that if Zigart did not go to the Olympic event, he would not do it either. His Federation asked him for time to think about it, but finally he did not change his decision and thus he'll be replaced by teammate Domen Novak in Paris.
Despite the absence of Pogacar, Slovenia will arrive with a very strong team with the aforementioned Novak, Luka Mezgec, Matej Mohoric and Jan Tratnik. Even without their two trump cards with Primoz Roglic also skipping the event, Slovenia can still aim for medals on the punchy course in Paris, where anything may happen.
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Article written by Juan Larra.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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