The question of whether Tadej Pogačar would race the UEC European Championships was finally answered on Wednesday, when the Slovenian National Federation announced its line-up without the superstar.
But, of course, Pogačar still returned home to soak up the cheers. Riding in the race director’s car, he waved to fans lining the road on the Možjanca climb and gathered at the finish in Šenčur.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider said he had no regrets about sitting out the race, but admitted he felt differently two weeks earlier, just weeks after crashing out of the Vuelta a España.
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“I’m here riding my bike for one week now outside [since the crash], and I know my shape is kind of really bad, and I don’t wish to be riding out today,” he told Eurosport with a chuckle.
“A week or two ago, though, I was really eager to be on the start today.”
But it was a tougher call for his fiancée, Urška Žigart, who refractured her jaw in a crash at Faun Tour Femmes in September. The AG Insurance-Soudal rider was also forced to miss Saturday’s women’s race on home soil.
“Even yesterday, when we were watching a women’s race, Urška was like, ‘ah, damn, I should be there’, and she’s been feeling super good,” Pogačar said. “When you have good shape. It’s tough to look at the race and know that you could be part of it.”
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Another reason for Pogačar and Žigart’s presence at the race was to celebrate the retirement of Slovenian veteran racer Luka Mezgec, someone that Pogačar has looked up for over a decade.
“Luka has been a big part of my career,” said Pogačar who was present at Mezgec biggest win of his career, when he was around 15 years old at the 2014 Giro d’Italia in Trieste.
“Since then, he was kind of my idol and mentor in the national team, and I learned a lot from him. And he had a really amazing career. I think a lot of young kids, young cyclists, should aim more to have a career like him as a lead-out man and a helper and a road captain in the team,” he added. “So to be here today with him is really nice and I’m honoured to be sitting next to him.”
Mezgec went out in style, going into the early break and then high-fiving the crowd once he was caught before calling it a day.
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