{"id":265901,"date":"2026-10-04T19:42:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T19:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/04\/i-know-my-shape-is-kind-of-really-bad-tadej-pogacar-comes-to-terms-with-missing-european-championships-in-slovenia\/"},"modified":"2026-10-04T19:42:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T19:42:09","slug":"i-know-my-shape-is-kind-of-really-bad-tadej-pogacar-comes-to-terms-with-missing-european-championships-in-slovenia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/04\/i-know-my-shape-is-kind-of-really-bad-tadej-pogacar-comes-to-terms-with-missing-european-championships-in-slovenia\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I know my shape is kind of really bad\u2019- Tadej Poga\u010dar comes to terms with missing European Championships in Slovenia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-b076a720-c02b-11f1-abe9-2374e7bc090d\">The question of whether <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/tadej-pogacar\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/tadej-pogacar\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/tadej-pogacar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a> would race the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/uec-road-european-championships\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/uec-road-european-championships\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/uec-road-european-championships\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UEC European Championships<\/a> was finally answered on Wednesday, when the Slovenian National Federation announced its line-up without the superstar.<\/p>\n<p>But, of course, Poga\u010dar still returned home to soak up the cheers. Riding in the race director\u2019s car, he waved to fans lining the road on the Mo\u017ejanca climb and gathered at the finish in \u0160en\u010dur.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"ecom-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-b076a720-c02b-11f1-abe9-2374e7bc090d-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">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 Espa\u00f1a.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel=\"\" data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\\\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\\\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header=\"\">\n<p><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-mobile\"\/><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand\">Cyclingnews<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">\u201cI&#8217;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&#8217;t wish to be riding out today,\u201d he told <em>Eurosport<\/em> with a chuckle.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">\u201cA week or two ago, though, I was really eager to be on the start today.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">But it was a tougher call for his fianc\u00e9e, Ur\u0161ka \u017digart, who refractured her jaw in a crash at Faun Tour Femmes in September. The AG Insurance-Soudal rider was also forced to miss Saturday\u2019s women\u2019s race on home soil.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">\u201cEven yesterday, when we were watching a women&#8217;s race, Ur\u0161ka was like, \u2018ah, damn, I should be there\u2019, and she&#8217;s been feeling super good,\u201d Poga\u010dar said. \u201cWhen you have good shape. It&#8217;s tough to look at the race and know that you could be part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-wzEUsfrHHK4deYovkQDpQZ\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-wzEUsfrHHK4deYovkQDpQZ slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"elk-b076aa72-c02b-11f1-9fdc-158733725f5a\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:2560px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.68%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/yHoYjmquqnY3D9RHotWSyA-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/yHoYjmquqnY3D9RHotWSyA-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/yHoYjmquqnY3D9RHotWSyA-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/yHoYjmquqnY3D9RHotWSyA-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/yHoYjmquqnY3D9RHotWSyA-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/yHoYjmquqnY3D9RHotWSyA-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"\/>\n<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Luka Mezgec was honoured by the peloton on his last day as a professional cyclist before the 2026 UEC Road Cycling European Championships <\/span><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a id=\"elk-honouring-luka-mezgec\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"\/><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-honouring-luka-mezgec\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Honouring Luka Mezgec<\/span><\/h3>\n<p id=\"elk-b076ac34-c02b-11f1-b243-df33e6502140\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Another reason for Poga\u010dar and \u017digart\u2019s presence at the race was to celebrate the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/transfers\/luka-mezgec-announces-new-role-as-sports-director-at-top-worldtour-team-following-imminent-retirement-after-european-championships\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/transfers\/luka-mezgec-announces-new-role-as-sports-director-at-top-worldtour-team-following-imminent-retirement-after-european-championships\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/transfers\/luka-mezgec-announces-new-role-as-sports-director-at-top-worldtour-team-following-imminent-retirement-after-european-championships\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">retirement of Slovenian veteran racer Luka Mezgec<\/a>, someone that Poga\u010dar has looked up for over a decade.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">\u201cLuka has been a big part of my career,\u201d said Poga\u010dar who was present at Mezgec biggest win of his career, when he was around 15 years old at the 2014 Giro d\u2019Italia in Trieste.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">\u201cSince 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,&#8221; he added. &#8220;So to be here today with him is really nice and I&#8217;m honoured to be sitting next to him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">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.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-b076acac-c02b-11f1-8db8-9da3db43de8d\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>Subscribe to Cyclingnews for comprehensive race coverage of both the UCI Road and Gravel World Championships, alongside the final monument of the season, Il Lombardia. Subscribers get unlimited access to exclusive analysis from our expert columnists, in-depth features and industry-leading tech insight. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! <\/strong><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=WORLDS26\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=WORLDS26\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=WORLDS26\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Join today.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/i-know-my-shape-is-kind-of-really-bad-tadej-pogacar-comes-to-terms-with-missing-european-championships-in-slovenia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The question of whether Tadej Poga\u010dar 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, Poga\u010dar still returned home to soak up the cheers. Riding in the race director\u2019s car, he waved to fans lining the road on the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":265902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-265901","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}