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.
Denne historien er fra June 23, 2022-utgaven av CYCLING WEEKLY.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 23, 2022-utgaven av CYCLING WEEKLY.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
CLASSIC BIKE COLNAGO SUPER
A trailblazing bike immortalised by Merckx and Saronni
"Strava activities are the only way I know some of my friends are still alive"
...or that Bernard is doing his weekly shop
AN EXPERT'S TAKE ON... SADDLE SELECTION
Crucial advice to guide your next purchase
JUST A NUMB#R?
Approaching a landmark birthday, Charlie Graham-Dixon explores how ageing affects cycling performance and what can be done to stay ahead of the curve
RURAL PERIL
More UK cyclists are killed on rural lanes than on busy city streets. Rob Kemp investigates why and what can be done to keep us safe while riding in the countryside
A BLESSED RIDE THROUGH THE FOREST OF BOWLAND
Forgoing cloak, cassock and cross, Trevor Ward goes in search of the holy roads that helped make a Tour winner
Dame Sarah Storey claims road and 19th gold double
More success for Team GB's Paralympians in Paris, but Storey slams women's time trial course
Roglič matches Vuelta win record
Slovenian takes fourth Tour of Spain title after hunting down O'Connor's lead, writes Adam Becket
Williams crowned Tour of Britain champion
Welshman leads home resurgence at the stage race to crown an Israel-Premier Tech clean sweep, reports Tom Davidson in Felixstowe
CLASSIC BIKE CLAUD BUTLER OLYMPIC ROAD
Iconic British brand's Holdsworth-era road bike