"There are still some angry stories about me in Slovenia" - Tadej Pogacar reveals he is not everyone's fan favourite in Slovenia after dethroning Primoz Roglic at 2020 Tour de France
Cycling
Slovenia has been blessed with two generational talents in Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar, who are currently two of the World's best in any terrain, but specifically the mountains and stage-races. Pogacar admits however that back home some do not like him after the 2020 Planche des Belles Filles Time-trial.
“We had mixed feelings. Primoz has a lot of prestige in Slovenia. And then in the most important stage on the penultimate day he is suddenly beaten by a newcomer. That has gone down badly with most people. Many were even angry with Tadej," Pogacar's mother said in an interview with Ride Maganize. That Tour saw the two compatriots enter the final time-trial first and second.
Roglic was in the yellow jersey and expected to be the main favourite to win the stage, but under pressure he cracked, and Tadej Pogacar soared to an incredible stage win which also saw him overturn the overall classification and win his first Tour.
“There are still some angry stories about me in Slovenia. I still feel like I have to prove myself over and over again to some people in my home country," Pogacar backed up. "Because of all the negative noises that were circulating at the time, I did not celebrate that Tour victory in 2020 too exuberant either. It was not the homecoming I had wished for as a Tour winner.”
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Ever since, Roglic has taken a glorious win in this year's final Giro time-trial, however that comes years after the "damage" was done in the two riders' fanbase. “Everyone was already convinced before that time trial that Primoz would win the Tour de France. Even my team and I had already resigned ourselves to second place," he said, of what was his Tour de France debut, with a UAE Team Emirates that wasn't built around him, but where Jumbo-Visma was already perfectly prepared for.
"That classification was already a fantastic success for us. Second in the classification, three stage victories and winner of the young rider classification. I had only dared to dream of that. However, as a rider you push yourself to the limit and you always try to win. That's what I did that day at La Planche des Belles Filles. I was given the opportunity and took it due to the circumstances. I still managed to win that Tour and that was the big breakthrough for me as a cyclist," he concluded.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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