Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar has mentioned that Slovenia’s choice to not choose his fiancée, Urška Zigart, for the Paris Olympic Games was one of many causes behind his personal choice to tug out of competing.
Pogačar withdrew from choice within the highway race on August 3, with the Slovenia Olympic Team confirming the information earlier this week. Tiredness has been given as the rationale for his withdrawal.
Speaking earlier than the Dutch post-Tour de France criterium, the Profronde Surhuisterveen, on Wednesday, Pogačar revealed that the choice to depart out Zigart additionally performed a component in his withdrawal.
“It’s not the primary cause, however for positive it did not assist,” he mentioned. “I feel she deserves her spot. She’s the double nationwide champion within the highway race and time trial.
“She’s the one girl bicycle owner in Slovenia that ever achieved a high 10 in a week-long WorldTour race,” he added, referring to her ninth place on the Tour de Suisse Women in June.
“She did nice within the final two years successful factors for Slovenia and, with out her, they would not have two spots within the highway race.”
Zigart, who gained the Slovenian time trial title by 4:34 and the highway race by 10:47, was not noted of the nationwide group when selectors introduced the squad earlier this month.
35-year-old Eugenia Bujak and 38-year-old Urška Pintar, who took second within the Slovenian highway race, have been chosen for each the highway race and time trial in her place.
Pogačar, who was just lately lauded in Slovenia as a part of homecoming celebrations following his Tour de France win, reacted to the information by writing in a social media publish, “I’m disgusted by the truth that Urška Zigart, a two-time nationwide champion and the very best Slovenian bicycle owner within the WorldTour, has not been chosen for the Olympic Games.”
Zigart – who mentioned that she had been knowledgeable of the choice earlier than the Tour de Suisse – additionally famous that she disagreed with the choice.
“Didn’t anticipate this to achieve the highs it did. I’ve come to phrases with the choice an extended whereas in the past,” she wrote on social media. “It isn’t my intention to drive participation in any respect. Especially, as a result of I do not suppose I need to race someplace the place they do not admire me and to be with individuals who solely put me down.
“But I’m allowed to specific my disagreement with being not noted of the choice and to level out the inexistence of precise goal standards within the choice course of.”
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