Tadej Pogacar beaten by amateur cyclist - How Tour de France champion failed to win his own 'Pogi Challenge' for second year in a row
Cycling
For the second year in a row, Tadej Pogacar has failed to get the win in the showpiece of his own event: The Pogi Challenge. The special challenge pits amateurs against the Tour de France champion on his favourite climb in Slovenia.
As part of his post-Tour celebrations, the Slovenian returned to his hometown of Komeda and rode the main attraction on the third day of his Pogi Challenge event on Sunday.
The world champion took on 1,189 cycling enthusiasts on the Krvavec climb, which includes 12 kilometers at an average of 8.1%. Of course, if the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider started alongside the participants, it would leave them with little to no chance of keeping pace - that's where it gets interesting.
Participants are given a head-start, before Pogacar is released upon its slopes a few minutes later. The hunt then begins as he hunts down every participant. However, he didn't have it all his own way - managing to finish in eighth place as German amateur Frederik Niessen reached the top first.
German amateur cyclist and six others beat Pogacar
It's not the first time Pogacar failed in his quest to go from last to first. In 2025, British amateur and climbing specialist Andrew Feather managed to keep Pogacar at bay and crest the climb first.
"At the foot it was a bit of chaos, with even a crash, but after that I kept riding well and suffered," Pogacar told the local media after the challenge.
The climb is Pogacar's favourite for a reason. He took his first-ever cycling victory on its slopes in 2009 many years before he would take the cycling world by storm and become a record-equalling Tour de France winner.
Before the race, Pogacar was in great spirits as he enjoyed his pot-Tour homecoming, joking that he hoped to conquer the climb as quickly as possible.
Pogacar in great spirits ahead of Vuelta decision
"Thanks for coming. Finally, we can race together," he addressed fans and participants beforehand. He added: "And yes, I hope that climb is over quickly."
Meanwhile, UAE and Pogacar are expected to confirm his plans for the final part of the season in the coming days. With extensive speculation linking him to a participation at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana, he finds himself with a decision to make.
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Due to the race ending in close proximity to the Montreal World Championships, a major goal for him in his bid to secure a third World Championships in a row, he and his team will evaluate if a participation in the Grand Tour is feasible.
Pogacar rode his first Grand Tour in 2019 at the Vuelta, but has not returned since. After securing a Giro d'Italia in 2024, a win in Spain would make him a treble Grand Tour winner.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Lots of people seem fed up of Pogi's phenomenal dominance, but I've been drawn into watching professional cycling again (after the Armstrong doping era, that's when I stopped) because of it. I don't think I'd be as interested if it wasn't for Pogi. People call it boring, it’s the exact opposite for me, I will never ever tire of watching absolute greatness in action. He is the greatest athlete this planet has ever produced. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans11-11-2026
- dfsdfsdfsdfwajohe447911-11-2026
- I have no sympathy for Ayuso or the situations he gets himself into. He was a traitor in the UAE team, he hated Pogi and never wanted to work for him. He always had excuses why he couldn't perform. No riders in the team liked his character and did not approve the kind of person he was on a deep, moral, or personal level. I just don't care about him. Ad acta.PogiSloFans11-11-2026
- Great response! I love the article also. Interesting to see which "Legends" will be covered. There are a few out there :-)
DareDevil11-11-2026 - This is one of the reasons why Ineos is failing, G can comment on his pod but why has he not attracted talent from the peloton to Ineos. He has lot of inside track. Also ratcliffe handling of Man United is also disastrous.abstractengineer11-11-2026
- Theirs a few on the team who may be able to step up/progress to Grand Tour wins but that'll come, not in '27 tho 🤷 - Roglic mayve appealed on a 2 yr for immediate results but other riders would be set aside and the existing riders wouldn't like that
leedorney11-11-2026 - Hey @santiagobenites, that's why @leedorney is wrong. He doesn't see the bigger picture.PogiSloFans11-11-2026
- the rot started in 2022 with Bernal's accident Signings- Just super helpers and non winners. Foss GC Leaders - Reliance on injured Bernal and retiring G Talents - On domestique duty dont learn how to win. Sprinters - No top Sprinter signed Tactics- Outdated Save the leader, trains. Just money badly spent even though there were opportunitiesabstractengineer11-11-2026
- Whole team is a mess. They don't have any really top tier "podium lock" GT riders, and they don't really have a solid classics block. Just a bunch of spare parts. I don't know why any rider would go for them either. Feels like old mate with the money is likely to pull out at any given moment, and that doesn't bode well for their ability to jack up their budget and say "let's buy half a dozen shit-hot talents to ride support/lead our team" - which is what they probably need to do to get competitive again.wrsty11-11-2026
- Pogi is a Goat. He has power numbers that are once in a century. Jonas is a once in a generation, He has power numbers 1 level lower than Pogi. Even if both are equal which they were before 2024, Pogi would have won on sprint bonuses. For Jonas to win he has to crack Pogi, which is impossible. Therefore Giro is a good option considering the TT in TDF. He cannot win but if something happens to Pogi , he should be still in a position to win the TDF, Giro or no Giro, because the others are a level below him.abstractengineer11-11-2026
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