Imagine lining up at the starting line, heart pounding, knowing that in just moments you’ll be racing against one of the greatest cyclists of all time. That’s exactly what happened to me and hundreds of other amateurs when we got the chance to ride alongside Tadej Pogačar, the four-time Tour de France champion. But here’s where it gets controversial: while most of us were just hoping to survive, a few dared to dream of keeping up—even if only for a few minutes.
The invitation arrived just three days before Pogačar defended his title in the men’s World Championship road race. It was an offer no cycling enthusiast could refuse: ‘Cycle alongside the world’s top cyclist!’ The catch? We had to tackle the brutal 15km climb from his hometown of Komenda to the summit of Krvavec, one of Slovenia’s most notorious mountain ascents. With an average gradient of 7.6% and sections exceeding 20%, this wasn’t your average Sunday ride. For Pogačar, it’s just another day at the office. For the rest of us? A test of sheer willpower.
But who hasn’t fantasized about measuring themselves against the best? That’s why I joined the crowd last weekend, armed with a ‘few minutes’ head start and a healthy dose of reality. As we gathered behind the start line, Pogačar stood among us, his rainbow jersey gleaming like a beacon of unmatched skill. The mood was a mix of excitement and dread.
Dave Goddard, a fellow Brit living in Slovenia, summed it up perfectly: ‘My main goal is to avoid humiliation.’ Anja Licen, a local rider who won her spot in a radio contest, echoed the sentiment: ‘I just hope I’m not the last one up.’ Meanwhile, Austrian duo Sandra Burtscher and Michael Mangeng looked every bit the part with their matching Pogačar-endorsed bikes. But even they admitted to feeling nervous, with Michael joking he’d only see Pogačar ‘for a short time’ before the champion disappeared into the distance.
And disappear he did. After our head start, Pogačar began his relentless pursuit, picking us off one by one with the same ruthless efficiency he uses against his professional rivals. In my case, he breezed past me within the first 2km. To put it in perspective, while I’m no stranger to cycling—I’ve tackled adventures before—my recent rides have been more about commuting on a vintage Japanese ‘mamachari’ bike or chasing Strava segments on the way back from school drop-offs. Road biking? It had been decades, and I’d had just two weeks to prepare.
My friend Mark Koghee, a former sporting director for a pro women’s team, called my endeavor ‘quite stupid’ but offered some advice: ‘You can’t improve your fitness in two weeks. The only thing you can do is prepare your body for the shock. Climb as much as you can, so the pain on race day isn’t as brutal.’ Another friend, Marin Medak, lent me his drop-bar bike, though when I asked if I could make it up Krvavec on it, he deadpanned: ‘Yes, if you put an electric engine in it.’
Spoiler alert: I didn’t install an engine. But I did make it to the summit—53 minutes after Pogačar. Speaking of Pogačar, he wasn’t even the first to cross the finish line. That honor went to Andrew Feather, a 40-year-old lawyer from Bath and four-time British Hill Climbing Champion. ‘I set a high tempo early on, and the others dropped off,’ Feather told the BBC. ‘I soloed to the top.’ Simple, right? Except Feather is one of the few riders to finish ahead of Pogačar this year—a truly once-in-a-lifetime achievement.
‘Pogi is up there as the best ever,’ Feather said. ‘That’s why I did it. I can walk away saying I’ve shaken his hand and got the trophy from him.’
After the race, Pogačar was in high spirits at the mountain-top celebration, laughing as he admitted, ‘You can’t win them all.’ But even after a season where he dominated the Tour de France, the World and European Championships, and three of the five ‘monument’ races, it’s clear the 27-year-old isn’t slowing down. ‘If you love what you do, motivation shouldn’t be difficult,’ he said. ‘Otherwise, I wouldn’t be doing it.’
And this is the part most people miss: Pogačar’s relentless drive isn’t just about winning—it’s about pushing boundaries, even when he’s already at the top. But here’s the question: Is it possible for an amateur to ever truly compete with a champion, or is it just a matter of how far behind you finish? Let me know your thoughts in the comments—especially if you’ve ever dreamed of racing against the best!
