"The fact that none of us had any idea about cycling was an advantage for Tadej" - Pogacar's parents open up on life of UAE leader away from the bike

Tadej Pogacar has emerged as probably the leading light of his generation over the last few years, highlighted by a record-breaking 2024 season that saw a pair of Grand Tour victories, a duo of Monuments and a first Rainbow Jersey at the Zurich World Championships. Following the UAE Team Emirates leader's journey all the way has been his parents Mirko and Marjeta.

"Tadej was always a lively, playful, sparkling and mischievous child," his mother recalls to Siol. "He always wanted to have fun around him and if he felt that something was wrong in the family, that there were some tensions, that everything was not going smoothly, he did everything to cheer us up, to connect us with each other, so that we could be a happy family again. He always needed a smiling and relaxed environment."

"At the beginning, we were so ignorant about cycling that we didn't even know what it entailed, nor that it could be a very dangerous sport. We were aware that it could be dangerous on the road during training, while the races didn't seem so dangerous to me, as they take place on closed roads," continues Marjeta. "In addition, there weren't as many falls in the younger categories, and the speeds weren't as high as they are now among the members. We also slowly grew up and got used to the dangers of cycling."

"I think that the fact that none of us had any idea about cycling was an advantage for Tadej," says the three-time Tour de France winner's father Mirko. "Tadej once said that the most we could do for him in terms of sports was that we had no idea about cycling. Which is true," adds Marjeta. "We let the children learn about their sports on their own and with the help of coaches. We still think that parents should not interfere in the coaching process, nor in school, and that we should trust teachers and coaches more. We trusted them completely."

Given Pogacar's success this year though, his attention has been thrust into the stratosphere. "What struck me the most this year was how, when you (Mirko ed.) and Remco Evenepoel were chatting after one of the stages of the Tour, some people tried to lip-read what they were talking about," Marjeta recalls. "You really do realize that you have to be careful all the time, you never know when someone will film you, you really are under the public's scrutiny all the time."