Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar cited the Slovenian Olympic Committee's decision against his girlfriend Urska Zigart's participation in the Olympics as one of the factors influencing his last-minute withdrawal from the Paris Games.
The Slovenian Olympic Committee issued a statement shortly after Pogacar secured his third Tour de France title, claiming fatigue was the reason for not selecting Zigart, who had only recently won her championship in Nice. Despite this announcement, Pogacar chose to compete in an evening criterium race in the Netherlands.
Before the Dutch event, Pogacar acknowledged that while it wasn't his primary motivation, Zigart's exclusion was a disappointment and she certainly deserved her spot on the Olympic team. He emphasized her accomplishments as Slovenia's top female cyclist, particularly in World Tour competitions where she achieved impressive rankings.
Pogacar expressed his discontent over Zigart's omission from the Olympic roster online and revealed that national coach Gorazd Penko had informed him about this decision beforehand. In contrast, Urska Pintar, who finished second in Slovenia's national championships, was selected by Penko for the Olympics.
Although Pogacar won his third Tour de France title earlier this year and will now compete in the upcoming world road race on 29 September, he expressed a desire to take some time off after his rigorous schedule leading up to these major events. "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.
The Slovenian national federation did not provide any comments regarding their decision against Zigart's selection for the Olympics.
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