The S Klanca v klanc race was the highlight of the three-day celebration of Tadej’s fifth Tour victory in Komenda. Together with 1,177 participants, Tadej first set off on a closed ride to the foot of the climb to Krvavec, where the battle for victory flared up. The world champion gave the other cyclists a seven-minute head start and set off in pursuit. Last year, only the Briton Andrew Feather rode to the top ahead of him, but this time Tadej finished in eighth place.
The fastest was Germany’s Frederik Niessen with a time of 45:49; joining him on the podium in the men’s competition were Italy’s Andrea Calza (47:28) and the best Slovene, Miran Kovačič (48:27). In the women’s competition, the fastest was Slovenia’s Laura Šimenc Kramar (56:28), ahead of Germany’s Liso Stein (58:01) and another Slovene, Pia Bedene Kralj (1:04:15).
»I have a printer, and I told myself I need motivation on the bike. I printed my favorite photo of Tadej Pogačar, because you can really see how he rides in it, which is why we love him. I taped it to my bike and looked at it every time I felt pain. I think that helped me,« Niessen said at the finish.
»The first part of the climb to Krvavec is really demanding—if you go too hard there, even that 500 meters of descent that follows won’t help you get out of hell. Down below there was a big crowd, and also a crash, but I enjoyed the first two kilometers, when I was hanging out with the other competitors. Then I suffered,« said Tadej after he rode up to Krvavec in a time of 49:51.
He has climbed Krvavec countless times, but this time he descended from it by helicopter for the first time. His pilot was the world’s best ski jumper, Domen Prevc. »The view from the air was insane; we did a loop over where Pogi logged miles when he was young and ate žganci up on the mountain pasture. I think that’s to blame for all his success. We made sure he relaxed. We had the kind of pilot who always knows how to fly calmly. It’s normal that he was scared if it was his first time in a helicopter, especially with me, since I always like to pull some stunt. But we couldn’t afford that—the cargo was too precious,« Prevc said after landing.
»When we were descending by helicopter, we saw snakes of cyclists still coming down. It really is a beautiful sport, even if you see it from far away. This wasn’t my first helicopter ride, but this time they at least briefed me before the flight. I was a bit more at ease,« Tadej said, adding that a few years ago, during a visit to Colombia, Rigoberto Uran arranged a helicopter transport for him.
The three-day cycling celebration, which began on Friday with Tadej’s victory at the 8th criterium Tadej Pogačar and, continuing on Saturday with Family Day, was also aimed at raising funds for the Tadej Pogačar Foundation. It primarily helps young people who are fighting cancer or have already overcome it, and this time it also came to the aid of residents of Komenda affected by the June storm that damaged many buildings.
Tadej donated 100,000 euros to them, and another 16,569 euros were raised this weekend. The American businessman Karl McDonnell also took the main stage; at an auction, he bought Tadej’s torn jersey from the Milan–Sanremo race—where he won after a crash—for 95,100 euros. In addition, Tadej transferred the same amount to the foundation.
»We’re extremely satisfied. In Komenda, at least 30,000 people gathered over three days, and the event was carried out flawlessly. It was very nice—everyone could find something for themselves. The last day is the most beautiful because we see how much money we raised for Komenda, for residents who suffered damage during the June storm, and for the Tadej Pogačar Foundation. On top of that, Tadej will finally be able to take a breather. He still hasn’t rested after the Tour, but now everything will finally calm down for him too, at least for a few days,« said Mirko Pogačar, Tadej’s father and Chairman of the Board of the Tadej Pogačar Foundation.
Pogi Challenge was once again a huge success, but it seems that next year it will be a two-day event. »The idea is to shorten the event to two days, the three-day format was very demanding for both the organizers and Tadej. There were some slow stretches, so we can condense the entire program into two days. The date, however, depends on Tadej—how many races he’ll have before that, how tired he’ll be, and how fed up he’ll feel. We’re dependent on him,« Mirko Pogačar added.