After the triumph in Nice Tadej still had a lot of commitments, among other things, he took part in the 42nd criterium in Surhuisterveen in the Netherlands on Tuesday, where he won ahead of Jasper Philipsen and Wout Poels.
Tadej’s unforgettable day followed on Wednesday. Together with the young cyclists from the Pogi Team, he cycled from the headquarters of KD Rog in Vikrče to Kongresni trg in the center of Ljubljana, where thousands of fans were waiting for him.
“Everything is easier when you have people around you who believe in you and when you have fans like you around me. Thank you to everyone who came, you are the best,” Tadej thanked the fans. He was also greeted by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, the Mayor of Ljubljana, Zoran Janković, and the President of the Cycling Federation of Slovenia, Pavel Marđonović.
“Foreign statesmen often ask me what we do to have so many great athletes. I don’t know if we realize what it means to win the Tour three times, what it means to win the Giro and the Tour in the same year. This is simply Mr. Tadej Pogačar,” President Nataša Pirc Musar addressed Tadej and the crowd. Tadej gifted her and other distinguished guests with a yellow jersey from the Tour and a pink jersey from Giro.
“He makes cycling look so easy. What I particularly like is his playfulness on the bike. He knows how to joke, he knows how to spray his chosen one with water in the middle of the stage. But first and foremost, he is a great man, an inspiration for young Slovenian athletes,” the president added, before Tadej left for the reception at his home town Komenda.
“I’m not in Komenda much, but every time I come, I pass this roundabout, I see flags, posters, family, friends and I’m really happy to come. Thanks to everyone, I feel really at home in Komenda,” Tadej addressed his compatriots and other fans as he signed his name at the roundabout in Komenda. It is now painted pink and yellow in honor of his Giro and Tour victories.
“Tadej is part of our place and with this reception we want to show him the respect and genuine feelings we have for him. We know he deserves and loves such a homely welcome. This time we asked him to sign for us on the yellow-pink roundabout,” added Komenda Mayor Jurij Kern. Tadej has set himself the rainbow jersey at September’s World Championships in Switzerland as his next big goal, but first he’s heading for a well-deserved break. He will do so as the leading cyclist in the UCI ranking. After winning the Tour, he became the first to break the 10,000-point mark, winning 10,925 and looks set to finish No. 1 in the world for the fourth season in a row.
