00:00 

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: Hello, welcome and dobrodošli to Feel Slovenia, the podcast. In each episode, we will explore what I have called the world's best country: meeting locals, traveling, eating, and getting to know the very best of Slovenia. 

This podcast is written and hosted by me, Dr. Noah Charney, and is brought to you by the Slovenian Tourist Board. 

Welcome to Feel Slovenia, the podcast, where we bring you stories, voices, and inspirations that make this country unlike any other. Today's episode is something truly special, a rare and exclusive conversation with a young man who has already become a cycling legend. Tadej Pogačar needs no introduction. At least he shouldn't, but just in case, let me introduce him and his many accolades. Many have called him not only the world's best cyclist today, but the best cyclist in history. Born in the small town of Komenda, just outside Ljubljana, and five minutes drive from my adopted hometown of Kamnik. Began cycling before he was tall enough to properly fit in his bike. He joined his local club at nine years old, often riding with children older and stronger than he was, but somehow he always managed to stay in front. Those who knew him then remember his quiet determination, his easy smile, and a gift for turning pain into poetry on pedals. 

A decade and a half later, that same boy would become one of the most complete cyclists the sport has ever seen. His rise was meteoric in 2019, at just 20 years old, he won three stages of the Vuelta and finished on the podium. The following year in the pandemic delayed 2020 Tour de France, he stunned the world. On the penultimate day, he erased a 57 second deficit to take the yellow jersey in one of the most dramatic time trials in cycling history, becoming the youngest tour winner in more than a century, and he wasn't finished. He won again in 2021, proving that it was no fluke. Since then, Pogačar has done something rare. In modern cycling, he has dominated every type of race. Cycling has long sought. The next Eddie Mercks, the Belgian legend, who devoured every race in his path, earning him the nickname, the cannibal. For decades comparisons felt unfair, even impossible with anyone, but with Pogačar, the conversation feels natural. He is in many ways the perfect ambassador for Slovenia itself. Humble, but unstoppable, calm, yet ambitious, grounded in simplicity and joy. In a sport once dominated by the French, Italians, Belgians, or Spaniards, this young Slovenia has taken center stage and is still there. Ask any cycling historian and they'll tell you that what makes Pogačar remarkable isn't just his record, but the way he races. He attacks early defying strategy. He climbs with the heart of a romantic descending with the precision of a surgeon, and when he crosses the finish line, whether first or fifth, as rarely happens, there's always that same disarming smile, half boyish joy, half quiet confidence that tomorrow he'll be back for more. His rivalry with Jonas Vingegaard has become modern cycling's, most captivating, dual. His UAE team, Emirate Squad, has become the symbol of global excellence and his personal journey from small town prodigy to global icon reminds us all how far talent, discipline, and genuine love for what you do can take you. 

In this special episode, we sit down with Tadej Pogačar to talk about his life, his craft, and his country, about how a Slovenian kid from Komenda became the rider every champion now has to beat. About what drives him to keep pushing the limits of endurance and imagination, and about the beauty of the road itself. The climbs, descents, the wind, the silence, and the pure freedom of the ride, whether he's abroad or at home here in Slovenia. 

04:24 

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: Tadej, thanks so much for speaking with me for the second time. We spoke a couple of years ago for the first season of the Tourism Podcast and it's been a treat watching you all these years. So my first question, a very serious one, doesn't your butt hurt from sitting on the bicycle seat for hours at a time? 

04: 39 

Tadej Pogačar: First, first of all, thank you for having me. But yeah, there's a ways that you can get used to the, to the saddle and it doesn't hurt anymore. But most of the people have pain on their bottom.

04:54 

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: So I imagine that's what helped me back from being a bicycling star too. I gave up after the first hour 'cause my butt hurt too much, but have to work through the pain. 

05:02 

Tadej Pogačar: Well, you need to have a good saddle and good shorts and training also. 

05:08

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: We're gonna talk about cycling. We're also gonna talk about Slovenia and holidays. But before we get to holidays, a cyclist friend asked me to ask you, what's the most brutal or dreaded training day of yours? What does it look like the day where you're like, oh man, this is gonna be a rough one. 

05:25

Tadej Pogačar: I think, preparing for world championships or something, or big classics with six hours training, some motor pacing, behind the front, and then some view to max in the end. This is my hardest training day and yeah. But I enjoy it, it gives me big pleasure to finish out this kind of training. 

05:50

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: Is it the kind of thing where you're enjoying it while it's happening? Or is it the kind of thing when you finish, you're like, oh man, that was great, but you're not enjoying it moment to moment.

05:58 

Tadej Pogačar: You have ups and downs in those six hours. Some moments you enjoy. Some moments you really hate yourself. But then, when you finish you are like super happy. And proud. 

06:10

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: Okay. I'm interested in general about Slovenia as such a great producer of strong cyclists. There's an impressive number of world-class cyclists, particularly in recent years, and I'm wondering if there's anything specific about the country or its system for developing young cyclists that has made it such a strong breeding ground for talent. 

06:31 

Tadej Pogačar: I don’t know, this question is really hard to answer, but in Slovenia, we have a lot of good athletes, not just in cycling. So we are kind of sport nation, I would say. I think, we have, a good development in in schools and in the clubs out of the schools for the sport itself. And yeah, also nice roads to train for cycling and yeah, I don't know. I think we can also be a little bit be lucky that have such a strong cycling nation right now because we actually don't have a lot of professionals. All of the professionals are really, really good. So yeah, I think it's a bit of coincidence as well. 

07:20 

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: It also helps that success fuels interest because there's definitely been an uptake in youth cycling since people like Primož and yourself have been so highly visible on the scene. So you've really inspired other people to follow in your footsteps and that that must be a good feeling. 

07:37 

Tadej Pogačar: Once I pretty much really started to shine on the world level, like winning almost every single race he entered. And then the cycling became to all the people who were watching or saw what's happening, including me, we were like, okay, it's possible to win and to be at the highest level there. So yeah, after all the success in the first years, then I came on the scene as well in 2019. And I immediately also started to help my ex-team, Pogi team now and put my name down and with that we  started to grow, as a cycling nation. 

08:23

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: So not only is it a cycling nation, but it's become a cycling destination for tourists. And I'm curious if you have cycling friends, maybe not professionals, but people who are enthusiasts, are there any routes you recommend for them to do as part of a tourism program visiting Slovenia? 

08:39

Tadej Pogačar: I would definitely recommend to be a few days in Slovenia and you can actually explore everything. So you have really diverse training route. You can go on the seaside. We have small, short climbs with really nice landscapes. I mean, everywhere you go it's nice landscapes, but then just the terrain is different in certain places. But yeah, I think you should visit like 90% of Slovenia if you really have time and if you want to enjoy and see how Slovenia looks like. It's really beautiful in all the places. 

09:15 

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: Is there a go-to route that you like to take from? Okay, so when you're in Slovenia, we're practically neighbours. You grew up in Komenda. I live in Kamnik. Doing a loop, is there a favourite, like, Pogi route that you like to take that people who wanna do the same sort of route that you take could follow? 

09:33

Tadej Pogačar: Of course. Krvavec is my home climb it’s one of the best climbs for training for me. If you pass Črnivec, then you have really nice rooutes on the other side and a lot of climbing. And then, normally when I was training with friends and with teammates from Ljubljana, we were just around those places and going up and down the climbs and doing some crazy stuff together. But, it's not one loop that you can do and be like, this is your favourite lap. But, you have many climbs and places that you really can go also out of Kamnik is Kamniška Bistrica but you have to finish and turn around on the top and come back. Or if you go towards Austria through Jezersko that is really beautiful and also really good for training. Yeah, just all those places around my hometown. But, I now also train a lot in Slovenska Bistrica, close to Maribor. There's a really good route with Rogla, Trije Kralji and Areh, these three climbs are really cool for training and one of the best routes in Slovenia to focus on just training. 

10:55 

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: Do you use one of the apps like Strava so people can actually see your training routes and follow them? 

11:00

Tadej Pogačar: I use Strava a bit. I don't publish everything, but to make the routes, it's the easiest way. Back in the days when we didn't have Strava or anything else, it was just you always go to the same roads and always the same climbs. But now, with those apps, you can explore a bit more. 

11:24

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: In addition to your strength, perseverance, and dedication, all the things that get the headlines, you're also known for bringing a sense of humor and positive energy to your teams. And I'm wondering how do you keep morale high and motivate your teammates to perform at their best when it has nothing to do with the sporting side, but with the team spirit and keeping relaxed and and enjoying yourself side of things. 

11:47

Tadej Pogačar: Nothing special. You cannot be pain in the ass to anyone. I think we have a really good atmosphere in the team, in the general with all the guys. I have 29 teammates and I get along with all of them really well. And we build this kind of relationship through the years and then when you come to race and there is a tough moment, we can count on each other. And there's nothing really particular that you would do to motivate anyone because everybody know when they come to race with me, they know why we are there and they give everything always. 

12:25 

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: Is there some funny story from behind the scenes you could share, like a prank or an awkward moment that brought you together as teammates and, that you're allowed to say publicly? 

11:34

Tadej Pogačar: There are many and the most of them are not for public, I would say. You know, we spend a lot of time on the bus, before the stages and after the stages. We spend a lot of time together and there's always something fun going on and boys being boys more or less. And yeah, just having good time. 

12:56

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: I listened to an interview you did with Peter Attia, a really in-depth, detailed technical interview that was honestly so technical that I couldn't follow all of it. So I'm gonna ask some more basic question. For anyone who's interested in a real technically detailed conversation with a doctor and with Tadej, I would recommend that. 

But more generally, a lot of people have asked me to ask you how you fuel yourself because I get exhausted just watching you from my couch at home. And I imagine, that on a race day, you must be eating and drinking specific things that you've found work best for you. So what are you ingesting before and during and after a race? 

13:32

Tadej Pogačar: Since I'm professional, the last seven years, the nutrition went really high level, really developed and we kind of guessed it correctly how to fuel correctly each day in the grand tours. It is really hard and to reach your weight in the right time. And how it looks. One hard day in the grand tour is you wake up, you go for breakfast you eat normally rice porridge or oat porridge. But, old porridge is a bit bigger in volume. So if it's really hard day, I would stick better to rice porridge because you consume less volume. Then, some two egg omelet, one egg white, one whole egg, normally with bread and some tomatoes, like Spanish style. And then, maybe two pieces of bread more or three pancakes, so like pretty big breakfast. And then, that's around three hours before the start. Then we have the transfer always in the bus. You finish, maybe there one rice cake that is prepared for the race. Maybe just a snack, maybe 30 minutes before the start. And then in the race, if it's five hours and you burn 5,000 kilo joules, then you need to eat around 120 grams of carbohydrates per hour. So that's like also a lot, a lot of gels and bars. And then after the stage, you have already have recovery shake, like cherry juice, then a recovery meal that is now with the chefs. We always have something different, but quite simple with a lot of carbohydrates and some small protein amount. And then for the dinner, you calculate altogether, what did you consume in the day, through the morning, through the race, after the race and you see how much kilo joules you burn through the day and then you adjust your dinner to match the calories. So, it's a lot of food and sometimes it's hard to go to bed, with a full stomach after it. 

15:57: 

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: It's also a lot of calculations. So if someone is helping you out, a nutritionist, he’s actually calculating the exact quantity of rice porridges you could have for breakfast, that sort of thing?

16:03 

Tadej Pogačar: We have an app where – nutritionist prepared this app for us in the team. He has all the recipes on and everything. So, the chefs that are preparing the food, they follow the recipe and then you know exactly the quantity, how much you need to eat, and you just put in the app, I don't know, eat, 500. And then there you see the carbs, the calories, the proteins, everything you see there in the end of the day with the app is pretty easy. But we get a lot of help from nutritionist, definitely. 

16:38: 

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: You mentioned recovery shake. You ever have a recovery beer like Luka Dončić or is that only for after the race is over? 

16:45:

Tadej Pogačar: No, no recovery beer. Not anymore. Now, back in the days they used to do this, but now not so much. 

16:54:

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: Now, zero out of 10 nutritionists recommend it. Many folks who weren't cycling fans got to know the sport better through the Netflix documentary, Tour de France Unchained, and I remember reading that during the first season of filming, you preferred to concentrate on the tour and you didn’t filmed all that much, but then you became a key protagonist in later seasons. I was wondering, was it distracting to be filmed or was it just part of the job, like giving interviews to the media? 

17:20 

Tadej Pogačar: I would say it's a bit distracting when you have another thing that is filming you and recording you. So, it was nice to see them make the series and I think we unlocked new reach of people that get to know cycling. But for us it's just another job through the race. And I mean, it's not that hard, but it's just small things that add up in the end. And that is too much sometimes. 

17:49

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: You've already achieved seemingly everything that you can in the cycling world. It's amazing to me. You're arguably the greatest cycler in history already. And where do you find the motivation to keep on going? Because as a bystander, I could imagine you do all this hard work and you win at multiple times, and at each moment you'd be like, that's it. I'm done. I'm gonna go home and lie on the couch now. But you must enjoy the process, however difficult it is to keep going season after season. And you even mentioned that your seventh season was the most successful yet. So, at what point can you imagine being like I've already given many careers worth of success, or is it still so much fun for you that you're happy to keep on going and making the records even more dramatic? 

18:37

Tadej Pogačar: Well, every year gets more challenging, I would say. And challenges keep you motivated. And that's a case with me. Because every year is like a little bit different, a little bit different pressure from the media, from yourself, from the team, and there's still some races that I haven't gone to yet and didn't win and I have still like, few goals in my career that I want to win. And, also it's just fun to ride a bike training and to see how much I can improve in the training and powerwise on some climbs around home to test myself that I can see still progress. That's what motivates me a lot these days. And I want to see how far I can reach with my physical abilities, I think. And then we see how many years it is gonna last, but I could retire now and my career would be more than successful. So, I don't really mind, if I don't win anything else, but I just need to enjoy and keep riding.

19:46

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: Can you imagine, what a fun next chapter for you would be when you're an old man like me with long hair and a gray beard? And you're 45? 

19:54 Tadej Pogačar: You're 45? I don't know. I hope when I'm 45 I don't race anymore and I can do some other things in life, to try out something else that is challenging me. I want to maybe focus on some other sports after a career, not like professionally, but just like for yourself to try them out. But, more important is, I think at 45, to have some sort of family built around me. 

20:37

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: That's lovely. So that brings us to the second part of our interview. Let's talk more about Slovenia as a destination and as your home. So you mentioned in a past interview, during the off season, you like to unwind and recharge by spending time in Slovenia with your family and with your Urška. I also have an Urška, highly recommended for wives. And what time does that time at home in Slovenia mean to you, and what do you like to do when you're back home? When you're really off, you're not even getting on a bicycle. 

21:05

Tadej Pogačar: In Slovenia is always a bit chaotic. I would say. We are like left and right visiting our families and try to visit our friends as much as we can. But there's always some complications back in Slovenia. There is always too many people in the end that try to reach out to you and try to see you. But when we are together, everything is more easy. And then all the problems we can solve together. And in the off season, if we have a lot of time, then we like to do really nothing. Or, this year we were quite spontaneous with the vacation and some other things. So just leaving the moment, I think it's the best. And try to enjoy as much as you can, other things than just the bike when you're not on the bike for many days. 

21:56

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: Is there anything that you like to eat when you come back to Slovenia that is not at all on your diet? Like, will you take a bike ride to Kamniška Bistrica and get the giant schnitzel Pr Jurju or something like that? Or are you always dieting? As long as you know you're gonna be cycling in the near future. 

22:14

Tadej Pogačar: There are so many places in Slovenia that I want to try out because you follow some Instagram pages and you see so many good restaurants are opening and like with proper home food. But then always when we come back home or my mom prepares dinner or grandma or Urška or just, you always sit at home and we don't get too much chance to get out and try all those delicious restaurants around Slovenia. But for sure, we'll get time in the future to find our favourite restaurants also in Slovenia. 

22:51

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: Tell me about the Pogi Challenge. How did you come up with the idea and what does it consist of for people who are not familiar with it? 

Tadej Pogačar: Well, Pogi Challenge is something different. It's not your usual ground fondo where you complete150 kilometers, with amateurs and racing, and it's dangerous. And, you're exhausted when you come to finish and then you just pack your bike and go home. But in Pogi Challenge it's like there was one day before an event where you could see the in Lombardia on the big screen and have like a little bit of party, I would say. And then, on the day of the Pogi Challenge it's really an experience. It's not that long of a race, but you just need to go up the climb around 14 kilometers long. And then on the top it's good food, people having fun. We had a concert this year and it was really an experience not just competing and racing bikes. So it was really fun and I hope we can continue to work on it. 

23:59

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: You had Siddharta performing, right? The Slovenian Rock band? 

24:02

Tadej Pogačar: Yes. It was really pleasure to have them there. And, they did a big favour to come up and play and it was really brilliant and amazing atmosphere. And they did perfect to keep up, the event going late in afternoon. 

24:18

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: That's really nice. So we've talked about some Slovenian foods and locations and routes. Is there Slovenian music that's on your playlist that you would recommend people listen to? Any specific names? 

24:29

Tadej Pogačar: I listen quite a lot of Slovenian hip hop music scene, and a lot of rappers I would recommend, like Drill, What, Masayah, Žile. But, also some other, Slovenian music. 

24:48

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: Is there gonna be a Pogi rap album in the future? 

24:52

Tadej Pogačar: Probably not. I, I don't know. Never say never. But, I'm really not for music. It's my worst talent, I would say. 

25:02

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: You have other talents, so I think we'll let you slide on the music one. I wanted to give some love to Komenda, which doesn't get a lot of attention as a tourist destination, but there's actually a lot going on there. And in addition to driving past many posters and banners, celebrating your success, what, what would you recommend tourists do if they wanna spend an afternoon in Komenda? Or maybe even do like the Pogi tour of your town, for example. Is there a cafe or something or a childhood favourite restaurant that they could go to? 

25:32

Tadej Pogačar: Not really. It's a small town, but you could, you could see some historical parts also, horse track is nice. They have some good horse races every year, competing with the carriages on the back, you know like speed racing with the carriages. And there's always, for farming, you can go to Komenda fair, yeah, the agricultural fair. Yes. But it's huge. It's really huge. It's like you could spend the whole day there. It's really impressive. Yeah. It goes for three days, I think. So many people come to see it every day. Even if you are not interested into farming, you could do whole day just doing things there and it's really fun. I hope one day I, maybe I can have something there that people could come and see, like a museum or, or something about the bikes and maybe a small cafe. Tadej Pogačar:It's still always hard to do this kind of things, but maybe in the future when I have more time, for sure. If I will ever have more time. 

26:56

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: You also have a nice church with some Plečnik architectural elements, Slovenia's most famous architect. 

26:57

Tadej Pogačar: And the houses around are really, really cool also. And there's some, yeah, some history in it, so why not? 

27:07 

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: You've ridden all over the world, but is there a particular Slovenia landscape or climb that still takes your breath away no matter how many times you've done it? I remember seeing some of the videos you made promoting Slovenia tourism and thinking that looks like a pretty good view to reach at the top of your cycling ride. 

27:25

Tadej Pogačar: If we are speaking about Mangart and Vršič, these two most beautiful scenery climbs in Slovenia and they're really nice. I haven't done them a lot of times, but every time I go there it's really good training and big climbs and nice views on the mountains. 

27:49

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: The last question for you. Many visitors say that what makes Slovenia special is not just the scenery, but the people. And is there a way you could describe the Slovenian spirit to someone who's never been here before? 

28:02

Tadej Pogačar: Slovenian spirit. I think we are quite easy people. We are cheerful. I think we like to get together and throw a good party or like a barbecue or something. Just get together and spend time with your closest and yeah. I see Slovenians as really nice people.

28:24

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: Nice, wonderful people. Hardworking and very humble considering how amazing you are. So I'm honored to be an honorary Slovenian and thank you so much for spending time with us and thank you for all of the successes. It's so much fun to watch and cheer for you. 

28:38

Tadej Pogačar: Thank you so much for this nice talk. And see you soon. 

28:45

Dr. Noah Charney, the host: What a privilege it's been to share this conversation with Tadej Pogačar. An athlete whose career feels less like a sequence of victories and more like a living story of joy, courage, and relentless pursuit of excellence. In just a few short years, he transformed not only the sport of cycling, but also how we think about competition itself. His victories span every corner of the cycling calendar, and yet what stands out most is not the statistics – although they do stand out – but the spirit behind them, the way he races with gratitude, with grace, and with a true boyish joy. For Slovenians today, he is more than a champion. His reflection of what his nation stands for, resilience, modesty, a deep connection with nature and the ability to surprise the world with quiet brilliance. It's a role he shares with fellow top Slovenian cyclists of the moment, like Primož Roglič and Matej Mohorič, every time one of them stands atop a podium draped in the Slovenian flag. It's not just a victory for the rider, but for everyone who believes that passion and perseverance can carry you anywhere. 

As we close this special episode, we invite you to keep exploring Slovenia, the landscapes that shaped him, the roads that trained him, and the spirit that continues to drive him. From the rolling hills near Komenda to the Alpine climbs he now conquers, every corner of this country tells part of the story. Thanks for listening, and wherever you are, may the road rise gently beneath your wheels. Hvala and thank you for listening to Feel Slovenia, the podcast. 

This podcast is brought to you by the Slovenian Tourist Board and was written and presented by Dr. Noah Charney. Please subscribe to get each new episode and tell all of your friends interested in travel and all things Slovenia. If you'd like to learn more, visit slovenia.info for more information. You're welcome to follow our social media channels. Feel Slovenia on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TripAdvisor.