‘My heart broke in two’ - Pogacar reflects on mixed emotions after Roglic’s shock 2020 Tour defeat
Tadej Pogacar has opened up that he struggled to celebrate his first Tour de France victory after dramatically taking the yellow jersey from fellow Slovenian Primoz Roglic in 2020.
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Pogačar overturned a 57 second deficit on the penultimate day of the race, producing a remarkable time trial on La Planche des Belles Filles to deny Roglič a Tour victory that had appeared all but secured.
Although the performance transformed Pogačar's career, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider said the result left him with conflicting emotions.
“The whole situation was strange,” Pogačar said on the Tour 202 podcast. “Primož had been Slovenia’s number one cyclist for some time. He was winning everything and he was already a legend.”
Roglič had controlled the race for much of the final week and started the decisive time trial in yellow. Supporters across Slovenia were preparing to celebrate the country’s first Tour de France victory.
“Everything had come together for him until the final day,” Pogačar said. “The whole country and all the fans were preparing for him to finally win the Tour.”
Pogačar, who was making his Tour debut at the age of 21, had also accepted that he was likely to finish second.
“I would have been completely satisfied with second place,” he said. “I had mentally prepared myself for that in the days before.”
The race changed rapidly once the time trial began. Pogačar delivered the fastest ride of the day, while Roglič struggled on the final climb and saw his advantage disappear.
Pogačar said he could only concentrate on his own performance.
“I gave everything in the time trial and there was nothing else I could do,” he said. “I had no influence over how Primož rode.”
By the time Roglič reached the finish, Pogačar had moved into the overall lead and was on the verge of becoming the youngest Tour winner in more than a century.
The scale of Roglič's defeat, however, made it difficult for Pogačar to immediately enjoy the achievement.
“When I saw how he reached the finish, my heart broke in two as well,” Pogačar said. “I was not as happy as I could have been.”
The result stunned Slovenia and left Pogačar trying to process the biggest victory of his career while watching a rider he admired experience one of his most painful defeats.
“When Primož crossed the finish line with that time loss, I simply could not believe it,” he said. “It was probably the same for the whole of Slovenia and all the fans.”
Pogačar said those emotions remained with him after he returned home.
“In the week after the race, I was at home and I did not celebrate the victory in the way I did the following year,” he said. “It was difficult for me too.”
Looking back, the Slovenian believes he could have allowed himself to enjoy the moment more.
“I have always told myself that I should have celebrated more at the time,” he said. “But instead, I felt very low.”
The dramatic conclusion to the 2020 Tour intensified the rivalry between supporters of Slovenia’s two leading riders. Pogačar, however, said his admiration for Roglič never changed.
“Primož has proved that he is a top cyclist and a legend of this sport,” he said. “He has done a lot for cycling and for Slovenian sport.”
“He is someone you can call a hero, a legend and an idol for every young cyclist. That is exactly why I have always admired him.”
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