Big Ride: Slovenia Pogačar's playground

The slopes of Slovenia's Julian Alps are where Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič honed their form ahead of Grand Tour glory. You won't find a more beautiful place to suffer

- Words Ewan Wilson Photography Juan Trujillo Andrades

Mountains are an integral part of Slovenia's identity. Its highest peak, Triglav, is even etched onto the national flag and coat of arms. Where the country borders with Italy and Austria in its northwest corner, the Julian Alps form a natural barrier that has been fought over for centuries and has shaped the nation's history, but which has also played a crucial role in the country's cycling success.

Despite having a population of just two million - similar to that of Greater Manchester - Slovenia has nurtured a host of pro riders since its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Names such as Tadej Valjavec and Janez Brajkovič may ring some bells from Grand Tours gone by, but it has been within the past decade that the country's sporting assembly line has truly hit overdrive, led by the mercurial duo of Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič. Within just six years the pair have taken ten Grand Tour victories between them, plus an Olympic gold and a rainbow jersey. What is it about these mountains that have spawned such outstanding cyclists? I've come to the heart of the Julian Alps to find out.

High in the saddle

I meet German-born Irishman Constantin for a curbside coffee in the mountain town of Bovec, slap bang in the middle of the Triglav National Park. As we sip our drinks and watch passersby from beneath a parasol, the village looks like any in the Eastern Alps: clean, with neat streets and pastel-shaded shopfronts. It's not obviously Slovenian, but this could be explained by Bovec's position within a corner of the country that has been the scene of a centuries-long geopolitical tug-of-war between the Venetians, Italians, Austro-Hungarians and Yugoslavians.