“Cycling is the most important thing in the world to him”

The Slovenian Tadej Pogacar He is widely recognized as the best cyclist in the world, which is supported by his extensive record of achievements and the countless races in which he has won. However, all great athletes have origins, and in recent statements by his parents, Mirko and Marteja Pogacarthey explained to Cycling Weekly how he got his start in the cycling world and expressed their pride in all that had been achieved by Tadej.

«There was a boy in the neighborhood with a unicycle and he once went to an event with him.», recalls Marjeta. « He taught people how to ride it and our children are interested. “They want to learn, so we buy them.” The sibling rivalry quickly led to the need for a second unicycle, and soon 10-year-old Tadej and his older brother Tilen have mastered the art of single-wheel riding in his town, Komenda, a small community of only 6,000 people.

Marteja, her mother, also remembers how the Pogacar brothers went almost everywhere by bicyclesomething that developed the Slovenian’s passion for sport, another one of the main pillars of Tadej’s childhood.

Tadej and Tilen’s childhood hobbies included Pokemon, Lego and Beyblades, but There is one thing they avoid and that is learning French. “I understand why,” explained Marjeta. «If they misbehave, I will make them speak in French.so when they hear French, they think, ‘Oh, we’ve done something wrong.'”

FROM FOOTBALL TO CYCLING

When they were little,The Pogacar brothers played soccerbut Tilen, seeing that his younger brother was better than him, decided to switch to basketball.

In its part, Tadej He stayed for a few more years, until he decided to leave to devote himself to cycling, his true passion. Marjeta He admitted that he was relieved when he switched sports. «The atmosphere around the field with other parents was really unpleasant, very aggressive, and I didn’t like it.», he admitted.

The transition to cycling has been a defining moment for the Pogacar family, although it has had financial challenges. «We are very happy to have both started cycling, but it is not cheap», said Marjeta. “We were lucky then the club offers bicycles, shoes and helmets“Otherwise it’s too expensive and we can’t afford it.”

For young Tadej, cycling soon became a passion. «For Tadej, cycling is the most important thing in the world», recalls Marjeta. «His pocket money is always spent on sunglasses, socks or tires.. When he was 12 years old, they gave him 5 or 10 euros to win a race, and that increased as he grew up; “Soon he was able to do everything he wanted.”

Pogacars’ first experience came in the Tour de France coincidentally during a family vacation in 2011. «We don’t intend to watch the race, we want to go to Lyon!», recalls Marjeta. An expensive tunnel from Italy to France led the family to detour to Sestriere, but the Tour stopped them there.

«When we arrived, the road was closed for the race and we had a chance to see the stage», explains Marjeta. “That was the best day of our vacation.” A few years later, the same Tadej, who in 2011 was another spectator of a stage of the Tour de France, will become a triple champion of the most prestigious cycling race.