Meet Frederik Niessen, who held off Tadej Pogačar by minutes in the Pogi Challenge: ‘Life goal achieved’

Frederik Niessen now has a story he can tell at birthdays and family gatherings for the rest of his life. The German was the first rider to reach the summit in the second edition of the Pogi Challenge in Slovenia on Sunday, holding off Tadej Pogačar in the event’s climbing challenge. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG superstar started seven minutes behind more than 1,200 participants but was unable to catch them all.

The Pogi Challenge formed part of a three-day cycling initiative in Slovenia that raises money for the Tadej Pogačar Foundation. A criterium had already been held on Friday, with Pogačar himself taking the victory. On Sunday morning, however, the honour went to a surprisingly strong German rider.

His name is Frederik Niessen, and a quick online search makes it immediately clear that he is not a casual cyclist who rides 30 kilometres twice a week. “Full-time racing bikes, training and coaching athletes,” reads his biography. Earlier this summer, he also won the Glocknerkönig Ultra, a challenging climbing event in Austria.

Pogačar was also beaten in the inaugural edition of the climbing challenge last year, when British hill-climb specialist Andrew Feather managed to stay ahead of him. In 2026, Pogi once again failed to pass every participant before the summit. Niessen covered the 12.2-kilometre ascent of Krvavec, which has an average gradient of 8.3 per cent, in just 45 minutes and 49 seconds.

Pogačar reached the top four minutes and two seconds later, although the world champion had started seven minutes after Niessen and the rest of the participants. Over the full climb, Niessen was therefore only around three minutes slower than cycling’s biggest superstar. Seven riders reached the summit before Pogačar this year, compared with only one in the previous edition. In the end, though, it is the winner whose name will be remembered.

“I knew it was going to be difficult. We rode the opening ten kilometres flat out, and the heat made it even harder,” he told the media on site. “Fortunately, I had enough water with me. I was caught a little by surprise by the final kilometres and all the hairpin bends. There were so many fans there, and I really enjoyed the loud support.”

Niessen quickly uploaded his ride to Strava, proudly giving it the title “Winning the Pogi Challenge.” “Life goal achieved,” he added in the caption. “I have never felt so good on a bike. I probably lost about a minute because of the crowds of participants during the opening section, but after that it was full gas all the way to the summit. I never looked back.”