Tadej Pogačar travelled to his home in Monaco after claiming his fourth victory at the Tour de France, which truly marked his place as one of cycling’s greats.
This weekend however he returned to his native Slovenia, to Komenda, for a celebratory criterium, organised by his home town and youth cycling teams.
Unsurprisingly, he won the event, with thousands of locals cheering him on. Luka Mezgec and Matteo Trentin could only look on as the Slovenian great took another race ahead of them.
Speaking ahead of the event, Pogačar said how happy he was to be back with friends, neighbours and family. Though he admitted to RTVSLO “taking photos and signing autographs can be tiring at times, sometimes less so, but I try to please everyone.”
And the Slovenian is sure to please cycling fans the rest of the season, after announcing his final plans for 2025.
He also admitted “I’ve started counting the years until retirement”, but that is not likely any time soon.
“I began winning early, so I know there can also be seasons with fewer results. But I will probably ride a few more Tours, it’s the biggest race and I doubt the team will leave me out for years to come.”