Tadej Pogacar beaten by German amateur on home climb for second year running
Giving a 1,177-strong field a seven-minute head start, Tadej Pogačar was unable to reel in German rider Frederik Niessen on the slopes of Krvavec.
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Tadej Pogačar returned to his childhood stomping ground in Slovenia this weekend to conclude a three-day fundraising festival in support of his Tadej Pogačar Foundation. The marquee finale was Sunday’s Pogi Challenge, a 15-kilometre ascent up Krvavec, the mountain where the five-time Tour de France champion claimed his first junior victory in 2009.
To match the mountain's 1,177 metres of vertical elevation, exactly 1,177 amateur cyclists lined up alongside WorldTour guests Isaac del Toro and Pascal Ackermann.
Under the event's handicap rules, the amateur field was released seven minutes ahead of Pogačar, leaving the World Champion to execute a solitary pursuit up the 8 per cent average gradients.
Before launching his chase, Pogačar offered a tactical warning during the neutralised roll-out from Komenda:
"Don't rush, the first two kilometres are the hardest, and whoever rushes there will pay the price later. Take it easy and enjoy it, then ramp up the tempo."
Once released, Pogačar sliced through the field, passing hundreds of riders at eye-watering speeds. However, the seven-minute buffer proved insurmountable against the day's strongest amateur contender.
German ultra-cyclist Frederik Niessen paced the climb well, crossing the summit first in 45 minutes and 49 seconds.
Pogačar crossed the line four minutes later with a gross time of 49:51 (a net climbing time of 42:51), well off his personal climb record of 31 minutes set before the 2024 Tour, but finishing with a smile to seal a successful charity weekend.
For Pogačar, failing to catch the amateur riders up the road is becoming a familiar story. In last year’s inaugural edition, held shortly after Il Lombardia, the Slovenian also started with a seven minute deficit.
He was unable to close the gap to 40-year-old British hill climb specialist Andrew Feather, who completed the 15 kilometre ascent in 44 minutes and 15 seconds.
Pogačar did secure a victory earlier in the weekend, sprinting to first place in Friday’s criterium in his home town of Komenda.
On Monday, the Slovenian is expected to announce that he will compete in the Vuelta a España, where he could become only the ninth rider in history to win all three Grand Tours.
