Tadej Pogacar wanted to dye hair pink for Giro d'Italia finale in Rome: “But there was no more time"

As the 2024 Giro d'Italia went on, Tadej Pogacar was becoming more and more pink. For the finale in Rome, the Slovenian even nearly went one step further, colouring his hair in pink.

Having started in the traditional UAE Team Emirates jersey, Pogacar took the Maglia Rosa with his stage 2 success. Over the course of the next three weeks, the Slovenian added pink sunglasses, a pink helmet and more and more pink items and detailing on his bike. In the end, it was real pink bonanza for Pogacar by the time he reached Rome.

Speaking on the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast, Pogacar revealed how he almost went one incredible step further. “Urska (his girlfriend Urka Zigart, ed.) had brought colours, real hair colour products,” said Pogacar with a cheeky laugh. “But there was no more time. I needed to bleach it first and then put the pink over it. This would have taken a while.”

Pink hair or not, nothing was stopping Pogacar from claiming his first Maglia Rosa at the 2024 Giro d'Italia. In the end it was victory by just short of 10 minutes for the UAE Team Emirates leader with Daniel Martinez and the aforementioned Geraint Thomas completing the podium in third place.

There will be little time for Pogacar to rest up however as the second leg of his Giro d'Italia/Tour de France double as be attempts to become the first man since the late great Marco Pantani to win both Grand Tours in the same calendar year. With question marks over the likes of Jonas Vingegaard, Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel due to their recent crash at the Itzulia Basque Country, Pogacar will surely start the Grand Tour as a heavy pre- race favourite to claim ehat would be a third Maillot Jaune in the career of the UAE Team Emirates superstar after being forced to settle for second the last two years.