"Primoz Roglic is and remains the most beloved rider in Slovenia" - Slovenian fans and Tadej Pogacar's mom reveal occasional hate on Tour de France champion
Cycling
Slovenia has won all three Grand Tours this season and virtually half of them in the 2020's. Still their two great champions do not live in Slovenia and ahead of a World Championships race where both are contenders for the rainbow jersey; we understand that Roglic is actually the most popular back in their home country.
“We should be proud of Tadej, but it is what it is: Primoz Roglic is and remains the most beloved rider in Slovenia. He has many more fans than Tadej," Sporza reported ahead of the big race, taking words from fans on the road.
To Bahamontes, Primoz Roglic's family dismissed any hate on their part. “We really have no problem with Tadej or his family. We do not know each other well and do not speak to each other much, but there is no tension between us.”
This was very much due to w. hat happened at the 2020 Tour de France, where the nation's first Grand Tour contender in many years Primoz Roglic was about to win the race; when newcomer Pogacar 'stole' the yellow jersey on the final competitive day. Tadej Pogacar's mom says that from that day onwards, a small section of his compatriots developed a hate for Pogacar (although literally, he conquered that, and two more Tour de France trophies for the country)
Marjeta Pogacar, the mother of the most recent yellow jersey, shared with Sporza: "I still don't understand that statement. It was only then that I realised how the cards were stacked. Last year Tadej said to me 'mama, they don't like me'. He was referring to the Slovenians. That statement hurt me a lot. After the 2020 Tour, Tadej received a lot of negative reactions. Personal messages and such. He had supposedly betrayed Roglic. We are talking about a minority here, really, but it still affects him. In Slovenia, there is a kind of shadow hanging over Tadej. As if he had been beaten to the checkout."
It is an unexpected situation, but one that exists in the mind of the main favourite for this Sunday's race in Zurich. Pogacar's mother shares a particular example that left him dumbfounded: “In Paris-Nice 2023, some compatriots ostentatiously supported Vingegaard when he passed side by side with Tadej. They shouted encouragement in Slovenian to the Dane, so that Tadej could hear it. I don't understand that."
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026 - Indeed! A reluctant gift maybe. Even more reluctant gift from Roglic! Tho I can’t see that Rog would have beaten Ving anyway.Lozza14-11-2026
- That really nasty crash in 2022 Liege must have played a big part - broken ribs, pneumothorax. You only have to look at his points tallies pre and post.Lozza14-11-2026
- Yeah, good luck getting tv and race organisers like ASO etc to part with their cash!Lozza14-11-2026
- 36 and Ineos have bought a rider on the downward slope. Bring back Dave and Rob who could manage the team. How are Ineos going to win a grand tour with people past their sell by date.paultryan200214-11-2026
- Mmmm would he be making these comments when he was on the richest team when riding. I think not i suspect. If we want money put into the sport we need sponsors who are prepared to put the money in. No disrespect but his team are 2nd or 3rd div in football terms with riders over the hill or 2nd string riders. If i was a sponsor i would be looking at what publicity am i getting back and Tudor really are just making up the numbers really.paultryan200214-11-2026
- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
- I wouldn't classify it as a gift because the nasty consequences of taking it from Sepp would have been great and would persist and he knew it.flyer14-11-2026
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