Tadej Pogačar has claimed his first-ever Slovenian elite road race title after the UAE Team Emirates star dropped Jayco-AIUIa veteran Luka Mezgec late on to clinch the victory.
Pogačar had already taken a dominating win in the Slovenian Time Trial Championships prior to following that with a triumph in the road race. It is the 60th win of his career and the 14th of this season.
His latest triumph means Pogačar will start the upcoming Tour de France clad in the Slovenian national road champion’s jersey and will also wear the corresponding TT maillot in the race’s one time trial on stage 16.
Pogačar made his intentions plain in the Slovenian road race after attacking in the first hour of the hilly 157-kilometre course in the north-westerly town of Radovljica.
Only Mezgec could follow when Pogačar attacked and the two built up a comfortable lead over Bahrain Victorious chasers Matej Mohorič – finally bronze – and Matevz Govekar.
Fifteen kilometres from the finish line, the two had an advantage of over four minutes, and Pogačar proceeded to shake off Mezgec on the final climb.
The Slovenian star crossed the line with 38 seconds advantage on his former breakaway companion and nearly five minutes on Mohorič.
Pogačar’s latest win provides further confirmation that after a long spell of recovery following his crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and resulting fractured wrist he is in top shape for the upcoming Tour de France, which he won in 2020 and 2021, and which starts in Bilbao on Saturday July 1st.
