🎥 Tadej Pogačar can even ride a unicycle, but speaks seriously about coming home after the Tour de France: ‘A bit of a shock’

Tadej Pogačar made his first public appearance in his home region on Friday since claiming his fifth overall Tour de France victory. The Slovenian rider organized a post-Tour criterium in Komenda, managing to attract several leading WorldTour riders. Pogačar also spoke during an organised press conference.

Who won the criterium in Komenda? That was hardly a surprise: Tadej Pogačar. The home favourite finished ahead of an impressive field that included UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates Isaac del Toro, Felix Großschartner and Tim Wellens.

Filippo Ganna of Netcompany INEOS, Davide Piganzoli of Visma | Lease a Bike, Matteo Trentin, Tudor’s Marco Haller, Jayco AlUla sprinter Pascal Ackermann and Bahrain Victorious rider Matej Mohorič had also competed in the Tour de France. Giulio Ciccone of Lidl-Trek, Giulio Pellizzari of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Mikkel Honoré of EF Education-EasyPost and Jayco AlUla’s Luka Mezgec were also present.

As well as winning the race, Pogačar made an impression with his entrance. He arrived on a… unicycle, as you can see in the footage below. Is there anything he cannot do?

Alongside the celebrations, Pogačar addressed the media in his home country. What had he done during the four days between finishing in Paris on Sunday and appearing in Komenda on Friday? “You need to disconnect for a while and reset yourself. You need at least a week after the Tour to really come back to your senses and get your feet back on the ground,” RTVSLO quoted him as saying.

“After all, you spend a month in France, racing inside that bubble. You also spend the previous month preparing for it. Eventually, it all adds up, and when you come home, it is a bit of a shock,” Pogačar admitted. “Everything moves quickly. The Pogi Challenge is already coming up, and Urška has left for the Tour de France Femmes.”

“Everything happened far too quickly. Then there is the mandatory dinner in Paris, which goes on and on, leaving you tired for another few days. Your energy levels fluctuate. Sometimes I shut myself away and did not want company, while at other times it was the complete opposite. But I hear the same thing from colleagues who have ridden the Tour de France,” the winner explained.

Pogačar also used his visit to Slovenia to recon the European Championships course alongside several fellow riders. “It was a good training ride and a difficult course for the European Championships,” he acknowledged.

First, however, there are the World Championships and… the Vuelta, right? “Maybe. We will see. We will know on Monday,” he said, appearing to hint that an announcement could follow after the weekend. Ultimately, whether he adds another Vuelta appearance to his record is not the only thing that matters to him.

“People will remember the Tours, the World Championships and the Monuments in one way or another. But I think every athlete wants to be regarded at the end of their career as both a good athlete and a person with a good heart. I think that is what everyone wants when they finish their career.”