Will unique, intimate weeks with Pogacar help spark Zigart’s European Championship surprise? "Tadej had 2 hours planned, I had 4; He joined for the whole ride"

In recent years, Pogacar has never made a secret of the fact that Zigart is his number one support. He spends every moment he can with his 28-year-old partner. The now 27-year-old world champion travels the world with Zigart during the offseason, and during the cycling season, they are regularly spotted training together whenever possible.

Problem: That was, and often is, not possible. Pogacar has been working through busy schedules for years, full of races and altitude training camps. Zigart, in turn, is making a name for herself at AG-Insurance-Soudal, where she has been the team leader since this year. “Here, I have the opportunity to grow in a different role, and I can now say with confidence that I go to races to achieve results,” she said on Friday.

They are ambitious people who are, therefore, also at peace with the fact that they sometimes see little of each other during the cycling season from January to October. But how different has that been in recent weeks? Pogacar and Zigart were spotted together almost everywhere on social media, first in peace and quiet after the Tour de France and then in their preparations for the World Championships in Rwanda and the European Championships in France.

“We've been able to spend a lot of time together. Since the Tour, we've only been apart for a week, when Tadej was in Canada,” Zigart confirmed when asked by IDLProCycling.com. “It's good for us to spend time together like this, even though we know it's not possible every year. We motivate and push each other, and we really need each other.”

Zigart gave a good example during a press moment on Friday: "We keep each other focused, but we also motivate each other. Sometimes Tadej has a bad day, and sometimes I do, but then we pull each other along. For example, one day this week, he had two hours of light training, and I had four hours of intense training. Tadej ended up riding with me for almost the entire training session."

"Urska needs to be here, she's very motivated," Pogacar said in his press conference about Zigart and their time together. “It helps that I'm here, so we can travel together and be together. That's easier when we're riding the same races. If I had the choice, I would want to ride everything with her all year round. I appreciate moments like these, when you can be together in the races.”

While Pogacar continues to rack up victories in his career, we are still waiting for Zigart's real big breakthrough. She has already hinted that the European Championships could be an enjoyable day. “It will be a tough race at the European Championships, with selective climbs. I hope to be there, especially on the long climb. I hope to finish in the top ten, but I hope to surprise with more.”

Zigart has won four Slovenian time trial titles and one Slovenian road title in her career so far. In 2021, she won a stage in the Tour of Valencia. It is mainly her increasingly better placings in major races that lead her to believe the final step is coming. “I'm looking forward to next season. I dream of performing well in the big races.”

With Kimberley Le Court and Sarah Gigante, Zigart has strong teammates at AG Insurance-Soudal, who may sometimes get in her way. That won't be the case at the European Championships. “You need good legs for the climbs on Saturday, but you also need to stay focused on the descents. I can't hide the fact that I'm looking forward to the long and steep climb. That's where the race will unfold, and then it's full throttle on the circuit. I hope to be there.”

Her fiancé, Tadej, will undoubtedly be watching closely as a supporter on Saturday.

Bram van der Ploeg ( Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])