Tadej Pogacar has decided against competing in the Paris Olympics less than two days after becoming the first man in 26 years to seal the Giro d’Italia-Tour de France double.
The UAE Team Emirates rider competed a magnificent Tour performance by winning Sunday’s time-trial in Nice to make it six victories in this year’s race.
It meant the Slovenian extended his lead over rival and two-time winner Vingegaard, of Visma – Lease a Bike, to six minutes and 17 seconds, becoming the first rider to win six stages in a single edition since Mark Cavendish in 2009.
It is also the most stage victories by a winner since Bernard Hinault in 1979 – and there were 24 stages then compared with 21 this year.
Securing his third Tour crown came just over two months after winning the Giro d’Italia on his debut attempt, which also saw the 25-year-old win six stages, meaning he matched Italy’s Marco Pantani efforts in securing the famous double.
But on Monday, the Slovenian Olympic Committee announced that Pogacar would not be racing in Paris due to fatigue meaning he would not be able to improve on his road-race bronze medal from the Tokyo Games.
He was one of the favourites, alongside Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, for the road race being held on August 3.
“Unfortunately Tadej Pogacar has cancelled his participation because of a state of extreme fatigue,” Slovenian Olympic cycling coach Uros Murn said in a statement. He will be replaced by in the team by Domen Novak.
His ability to perform on one-day races with steep hills made him a top contender in Paris, a gruelling 225km course in and around the French capital.
Pogacar has won the Tour of Flanders, the Giro di Lombardia and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, three of the one-day classic races.
Many riders tend to peak around the end of the Tour and ride their wave of form into the Olympics.
Defending champion Richard Carapaz, who won the mountains classification at this year’s Tour de France, was not selected by Ecuador.
Instead, Pogacar is aiming for the Triple Crown of cycling – adding the world road race championship, where he finished third last year as Van der Poel took gold, to his two Grand Tours.
That triple has only been achieved twice in men’s cycling, by Belgium’s Eddy Merckx in 1974 and Irishman Stephen Roche in 1987, and Pogacar has now given himself more time to recover as he will no longer compete in the Paris Olympics.
“For me, putting a cherry on top of this season would be to have a really nice August, to relax a bit, to prepare well for the World Championships and then give it my all there,” Pogacar said.
“Next I want to take the world championship jersey. I know that Mathieu looks good in the rainbow jersey, but I want to take it from him.”
Pogacar had been angered by his girlfriend Urska Zigart not being selected for the Slovenian women’s cycling team for the Paris Games. He said he was “angry” and “speechless” in a message posted on his Facebook account.
“I need a little rest after the Tour and I’m not sure what I’ll be doing next,” Pogacar added on Sunday. “And I want to relax and rest and spend some time with my girlfriend.”
