Slovenian cycling superstar turns hometown ride
The world's top-ranked road cycling rider Tadej Pogačar will end this season with a friendly competition leading from his home town to the top of his favourite hill, Krvavec.
On 12 October, 1,189 participants will enjoy racing the three-time Tour de France winner up 1,189 metres of ascent to the base of the Krvavec ski slopes north of the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.
According to pogichallenge.com, the first, mostly flat, 9 kilometres of the race between Komenda and the start of the climb in Grad will be a fun ride with Pogačar mingling with the participating cyclists.
But then, as cyclists will start their climb, Pogi, as he is known popularly, will stay back, allowing all participants to pass him, before attempting to catch them one by one over the next 14 kilometres on an average gradient of 7.6%.
According to route segment data from the cycling app Strava, Pogačar has held the King of the Mountain title for the climb at least since May 2020, powering up the road at over 20 km/h. The closest runner-up on Strava leaderboards finished the climb three minutes slower than Pogi's 33 minutes and 39 seconds.
The race will be covered live by the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija and is likely to draw roadside crowds hoping to see the reigning world champion in road racing.
Following the race, Pogačar's equipment will be auctioned off for his charity foundation and fans will be treated to a concert by Siddharta, a hugely popular Slovenian rock band.
