Daily TribuneSlovenian Champion Tadej Pogačar Steps Back After Historic Tour de France Victory
UAE Team Emirates team's Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar celebrates his overall victory on the podium with teammates and staff after the 21st and final stage of the 111th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, a 33,7 km individual time-trial between Monaco and Nice, on July 21, 2024.
Thomas SAMSON / AFP
Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar has announced his withdrawal from the Paris Olympics, citing extreme fatigue, his Slovenian team revealed on Monday. The announcement comes just a day after Pogačar clinched his third Tour de France title, becoming the first cyclist since Marco Pantani in 1998 to achieve the Giro d'Italia-Tour de France double.
Slovenian Olympic cycling coach Uros Murn stated, "Unfortunately, Tadej Pogačar has canceled his participation because of a state of extreme fatigue." Pogačar echoed this sentiment, expressing his need for rest and his intention to spend time with his girlfriend, Urska Zigart, who was controversially left out of the Slovenian women's cycling team for the Paris Games.
Pogačar will be replaced by his UAE Emirates teammate Domen Novak in the Olympic road race. The Slovenian team expressed their support, congratulating Pogačar on his Tour de France victory and wishing Novak success in the upcoming competition.
In addition to his exhaustion, Pogačar hinted at a desire to focus on future goals, such as the Zurich World Championships in September. His decision to withdraw from the Olympics underscores the immense physical and mental demands faced by top-tier cyclists.
Pogačar's remarkable achievements this year will be celebrated with a hero's welcome in Ljubljana on July 24. Despite his absence from the Paris Games, his legacy in the cycling world continues to grow.
(Sources: Article by Julie Chabanas for AFP, with additional information from James Moultrie for Cycling News.)
