"Racing with Tadej is a dream situation" – Pogacar's loyal right-hand man ready to give his all in search of Rainbow Jersey at Rwanda World Championships

When Domen Novak describes riding alongside Tadej Pogacar as “a dream situation”, it is not said lightly. The 30-year-old has played the role of loyal right-hand man for both UAE Team Emirates - XRG and the Slovenian national team, and at the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda, he will once again dedicate himself to protecting cycling’s most devastating all-rounder.

“It’s special to race at Worlds because with the national team it’s always a bit different,” Novak told Cycling News. “In UAE, we know each other, and in the national team there are other riders you don’t know so well. But for me, racing with Tadej is a dream situation – always. It’s sometimes more pressure when you race, but you also feel very proud.”

Twelve months ago in Zurich, Novak’s job was made simple when Pogacar launched his audacious solo attack with 100 kilometres remaining. “Last year it was like that,” Novak recalled with a grin. “But this year, we will see how it’s going. I think the course is pretty good for him, so we will try our best to win it again.”

Defending the rainbow jersey on the brutal Rwandan parcours is a different challenge altogether, with repeated climbing at altitude likely to shred the bunch. “It’s hard to say if the course will be more difficult – really it’s the riders who make a race hard. There’s certainly a lot of climbing, like in a Classic, and by the end in those races, after 200 kilometres not a lot of riders still have the legs.”

Novak, who recently emerged from a gruelling Vuelta a Espana, admitted his condition is not quite as sharp as in 2024, but insisted: “I’ll step up for the Worlds. It’ll be special to be racing in Africa, but also it’s special racing for Tadej in these kinds of events too. I’ll try to do as much as possible for him, and that’s what matters.”

Novak will line up in Rwanda alongside Primoz Roglic, Matej Mohoric, Luka Mezgec, Gal Glivar, Matevz Govekar, Jaka Primozic and Matic Zumer. Missing, however, is Jan Tratnik, whose absence removes Slovenia’s traditional road captain and a vital link in the chain of support. “We’ve lost a lot with no Jan Tratnik because he’s a strong rider and he’s got some problems with injuries right now,” Novak explained. “But we will see how the race is going. Maybe I will need to take his place. In any case, everybody will try their best and we’ll try to win.”

How Roglic is deployed remains a major point of intrigue. National coach Uroš Murn has so far kept strategy close to his chest, acknowledging both the opportunity and the complexity of managing two of the sport’s most formidable riders in the same jersey. “We are lucky to have them both,” Murn said earlier this month. “It’s not a problem – it’s a luxury.”

Novak himself is happy to keep his own remit flexible. “I don’t know specifically what my job is but I think I’ll start pulling after 150 kilometres and try to make some selection and then we will see,” he said.

What unites Slovenia’s riders is the belief that Pogacar’s form, sharpened in Canada after his Tour de France triumph, is on point for Rwanda. “You know Tadej, he can win almost every day, and I think he will come in the best shape,” Novak insisted. “We have quite a good team, and we’ll try to bring him into the best place possible so he can go for the win.”

That conviction comes with the weight of experience. Novak has seen first-hand how Pogacar thrives when his targets are clear. “When Tadej plans to be ready, he’s ready. I think he needs a few race days and that pace to open up the engine, and then we’ll see.”

For Novak, pride in being part of Slovenia’s golden generation outweighs any personal ambition. Last year, while Pogacar was paraded as a national hero, Novak quietly returned to work in Croatia. “For me, it was normal, but with Tadej it’s very different,” he said. “But racing with Tadej is a dream situation – always.”