At the Valjavec, we use trophies to block the doors. Cups and medals are everywhere in the family home in Besnica, a small village located east of the capital, Ljubljana. Witnesses to the numerous victories gleaned by the father, Tadej, 47 years old, former pro and pioneer of Slovenian cycling, who serves as a cycling guide at the Ribno hotel in Bled, one of the many establishments in the country where cycling enthusiasts are the welcome.
The day before, June 20, his son, Erazem, a slender 17-year-old blonde teenager with blue eyes, added a golden charm to the collection by becoming national junior time trial champion. Could we be in the presence of the future Tadej Pogacar? “With Jakob Omrzel, we share the podiums in juniors at the moment. The level is so high here. And “Pogi” is so untouchable. But it’s my dream!”modestly responds the rider, who will wear the colors of Soudal-Quick-Step, within the reserve team of the Belgian professional team, next season.
A few days before the start of the Tour de France, the Slovenes are already seeing life in yellow and imagining a double on the podium of the Grande Boucle, which will start in neighboring Italy on Saturday June 29. Thanks to Primoz Roglic and the man everyone nicknames “Pogi”, Slovenia, a central European country half the size of Switzerland and with 2 million inhabitants, has changed gears, taking center stage world cyclist.
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“We have an old cycling tradition here: the Rog, one of our most important clubs, is 75 years old. And we have always had very good teammates, recalls Pavel Mardonovic, president of the Slovenian Cycling Federation for 3 years. But Roglic acted as an accelerator: he was the first leader we had. With “Pogi”, we have moved to a higher stage, a real revolution! »
The Tadej effect also works on young girls
Young people are now flocking to the 107 clubs with 2,144 members, a third more in seven years. “This is the tip of the iceberg, in reality there are hundreds of thousands of us practicing”the nuance of Miho Koncil, as he follows one of his Pogi Team protégés along the Pogacar Cup track in Komenda. The city where the Giro d’Italia winner grew up painted its signs and roundabouts pink in celebration in May.
Miha, first coach of the double winner of the Tour de France (2020 and 2021), gave substance to the champion’s idea of facilitating access to cycling for the youngest: the Pogi Team, born in 2020, counts today 200 members aged 6 to 18. The day before the Pogacar Cup, Luka Muha, young assistant coach, trained the U13s on the Tacen circuit, a village close to Ljubjana, on land lent by the municipal police. “There, “Pogi” did some tricks! »recalls Miha, as his team fills up on podiums on the Komenda turnstile.
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