While it’s not Amsterdam, Ljubljana is certainly a cycling city. Bikes line the walls of cafes, are parked outside of shops and office buildings by the dozen, and the more hip cyclists often rush by on old Yugoslav-era beaters, ringing their bells on the city’s narrow, twisting streets.
But one of the newer sights these days are enthusiasts atop slick racing bikes, seeking a path to freer roads, often donning a Jumbo-Visma, Bahrain Victorious, or a UAE Team Emirates replica kit.
Up until recently, Slovenia was mostly known internationally as a nation gifted in winter sports, among them ski jumping and alpine skiing. But now, driven by the success of Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar, cycling gives those pastimes some stiff competition in terms of popularity, attention and media coverage. But, as Cycling Weekly finds out from fans and journalists in the country, those two poles have also served to pull the fanbase into two rival camps whose animosity wouldn’t be out of place at a local football derby.
The growth era
The headquarters at RTV is a compact, modernist mid-rise building crammed into the corner of a sunny street. I am shown around the studios and office spaces by Igor Tominec, a veteran radio journalist at RTV’s Channel Two, accompanied by the young, fresh-faced Matic Božič, who’s a bit of a Swiss Army knife in the Slovenian cycling sphere, working simultaneously at Val Radio, an RTV subsidiary, the Slovenian Cycling Federation, and also at Pogi Team.
Esta historia es de la edición June 23, 2022 de CYCLING WEEKLY.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 23, 2022 de CYCLING WEEKLY.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Emperor Sport
The amateur 'Animal' attacked on this fixed wheel
Overtraining
We ask a fatigue specialist what bike-related burnout really means, and how to avoid it
SLEEP CYCLES - Is tracking shut-eye time well spent?
Are cyclists sleepwalking into information overload, asks Lexie Williamson
Giant Revolt X Pro
Steve Shrubsall gives Giant's gravel mile-muncher a multisurface mauling
How do I keep my tubeless set-up safe?
Tubeless tyres are no cause for concern if you take a few simple precautions, finds Joe Baker
SEB GRINDLEY & HIS DAD DAVE
The British teenager has hit the ground running in his sporting career, but that's no surprise as his father did exactly the same
THE BARD OF BRIOUDE
Revered as much for his erudition as his élan, Romain Bardet is on a mission to change cycling for the better, as Chris Marshall-Bell finds out
THE HUB
All the news you might have missed from the last seven days
Holmes sees double with Gralloch win
Ex-WorldTour rider's triumphant return to racing continues with glory on the gravel
FRED WRIGHT - Martian preparation for the Tour
Fred Wright rides for Bahrain Victorious