Pogi Challenge 2026

Today marks exactly one year since my first Pogi Challenge in Slovenia. 🇸🇮 The concept is simple. Over a thousand cyclists set off from Komenda —Tadej Pogačar’s hometown—heading toward the Krvavec climb, where he used to train. Awaiting them is a 12.2 km ascent with an elevation gain of over 1,000 meters and an average gradient of around 8%. Pogačar gives the peloton a head start of about five minutes before setting off to catch them. Last year, I had just one goal: to capture the moment the world’s best cyclist overtook me on video. This year, I wanted more. I wanted to stay with him for as long as possible. The conditions were brutal. The temperature at the start hit 40°C. My heart rate was sky-high, the water in my bottles was warm, and about halfway up the climb, stomach pain set in. I had gone out too hard at the start and really suffered through the rest of the ascent. There were moments when I truly felt I couldn't go on. Then, Pogačar started closing in. I rode right alongside him for nearly 50 seconds. In that moment, I wasn't thinking about the pain, my heart rate, or how much energy I had left. I just wanted to fully savor the experience.