Tadej Pogacar takes part in tribute ride to late Italian rider

Earlier this summer, young Hagens Berman Jayco rider Samuele Privitera passed away following injuries that he suffered in a crash during the Giro della Valle d'Aosta. This Saturday there was an organized ride in honour of the Italian rider and amongst those who participated was Tadej Pogacar.

The ride was organized by a teammate (in some way, as he is part of the elite Team Jayco AlUla) in Asbjorn Hellemose, in the region of Liguria where the two would train together often. Tadej Pogacar was present, as he is a resident of nearby Monaco, and wanted to pay homage to the late rider.

Privitera was 19 years old when he passed away and was one of Italy's most prominent under-23 riders. His passing, during the days where the Tour de France was on the road, was another tragic reminder of the dangers that come with professional cycling.

As for Pogacar he remains at home in preparation for the 2026 season. Interestingly, the event took place on the 3rd of January, on the same day of the Superprestige Gullegem. Race organizers talked about their contact with Pogacar's team but were told he could not take part in it as he would be away in a training camp, which is not the case. "Ultimately, we were told no, because Pogacar would be away on a training camp. So it didn't fit into the schedule". However it wouldn't be expected that the Slovenian would make the trip to Belgium to participate in a cyclocross event at this point in his career.

He will be doing regular training all the way into Strade Bianche, which will be followed by Milano-Sanremo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège in search of more quality wins. Only in preparation towards the Tour de France will he be training at altitude, not during the spring.