Tadej Pogačar, often affectionately nicknamed “Pogi,” stands as one of the most electrifying figures in modern cycling.
Born on September 21, 1998, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, he grew up in the nearby village of Klanec in the Municipality of Komenda, about 20 kilometers north of the capital.
From a young age, Pogačar displayed an innate athleticism that initially drew him to football, but his path pivoted dramatically at nine years old when he followed his older brother into the world of cycling at the Rog Ljubljana club.
Surrounded by Slovenia’s lush, rolling landscapes, he honed his skills on local roads, idolizing riders like Alberto Contador and the Schleck brothers.
Fluent in both Slovenian and English, with a touch of French from his mother’s influence, Pogačar embodies a grounded yet ambitious spirit.
He resides in Monaco with his fiancée, fellow professional cyclist Urška Žigart, a talented rider for AG Insurance–Soudal who has claimed multiple Slovenian national titles.
Siblings
Tadej has two siblings, namely Barbara and Tilen Pogacar who is also a cyclist.
The three siblings were raised in a close-knit Slovenian family, Tadej grew up immersed in a dynamic household.
His parents, Marjeta—a dedicated French teacher—and Mirko, who transitioned from managing a chair factory to supporting Tadej’s early career with the Ljubljana Gusto Santic team.
His older brother, Tilen, sparked Tadej’s cycling journey by joining the Rog Ljubljana club first, serving as both a role model and early training partner whose footsteps young Tadej eagerly chased.
Career
Pogačar’s professional odyssey began in earnest in 2019 when, at just 20 years old, he signed with UAE Team Emirates XRG, a move orchestrated by Slovenian ex-pro Andrej Hauptmann that catapulted him onto the global stage.
His debut season was a revelation: a 13th-place finish at the Tour Down Under gave way to outright victories at the Volta ao Algarve and a stunning overall win at the Tour of California, making him the youngest rider ever to claim a UCI WorldTour stage race.
Also Read: Rosalinde Mynster Siblings: Meet Jasper Spanning and Line Spanning
That same year, he dazzled at the Vuelta a España, snagging three stages en route to third place overall and the young rider jersey, signaling to the peloton that a new force had arrived.
The pinnacle came in 2020 amid the pandemic-disrupted calendar, where Pogačar, still a neo-pro, entered the Tour de France as a wildcard and emerged victorious, upending pre-race favorite Primož Roglič in a dramatic time trial on the penultimate stage to claim the yellow jersey, polka-dot mountains classification, and white young rider jersey in one unprecedented sweep—the first rider to achieve such a trifecta.
He defended his Tour crown in 2021, adding three more stage wins and branching into the Monuments with triumphs at Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Giro di Lombardia, cementing his status as a one-day specialist too.
Setbacks followed, including runner-up finishes at the 2022 and 2023 Tours to rival Jonas Vingegaard in their now-legendary rivalry, but Pogačar rebounded ferociously in 2024, conquering the Giro d’Italia for his first pink jersey before reclaiming the Tour maillot jaune with six stage victories and a commanding lead.
The year peaked with a solo masterclass at the UCI Road World Championships in Zurich, launching an audacious 51-kilometer break to secure the rainbow jersey and etch his name into the Triple Crown of Cycling lore—the third man ever, after Eddy Merckx and Stephen Roche, to win the Giro, Tour, and Worlds in a single season.
Entering 2025, Pogačar continued his imperious form, defending his Tour title with 21 career stage wins to date and sweeping spring Classics like the Tour of Flanders, while his Worlds repeat in Rwanda featured another 66-kilometer solo raid, leaving chasers like Remco Evenepoel over a minute adrift.
Accolades
At the Tour de France, Pogacar’s four overall victories in 2020, 2021, 2024, and 2025—paired with 21 stage wins—mark him as a modern maestro, having thrice conquered the general classification alongside the mountains and young rider jerseys in the same edition, a feat unmatched in the race’s annals.
His 2024 Giro d’Italia triumph added the pink jersey to his collection, completing the elusive Giro-Tour double and fueling debates over his place beside Merckx as cycling’s ultimate all-rounder.
In the Monuments, Pogačar’s nine conquests include four Il Lombardia titles (2021–2024), three Liège–Bastogne–Liège wins (2021, 2024, 2025), the 2023 Tour of Flanders, and further nods like his 2025 Milan-San Remo podium, outpacing contemporaries and evoking the “Cannibal’s” insatiable appetite.
Globally, back-to-back UCI Road World Championship golds in 2024 and 2025—both sealed by audacious long-range solos—crowned him with the Triple Crown, a rare honor shared only with Merckx and Roche, while his 2018 Tour de l’Avenir junior win foreshadowed the senior dominance to come.
Beyond the bike, Pogačar’s accolades extend to national pride as Slovenia’s top-ranked male cyclist for multiple years, alongside fiancée Urška Žigart, and a bronze medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic road race.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
