Tadej Pogačar, the Slovenian rider and 2024 Tour de France champion who captured his third title this year, has been ruled out of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games due to fatigue following his recent victory in the Tour de France. The Slovenian Olympic Committee announced that Pogačar, who was one of the favorites for the Olympic road race scheduled for August 3, will not compete as he needs time to recover from the grueling three-week stage race.
Pogačar, who secured his third Tour de France title on Sunday, will be replaced by his national team colleague Domen Novak. The Slovenian Olympic Committee expressed hope that Pogačar will represent Slovenia at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
The 25-year old star of the current road cycling circuit has been part of the UAE Team Emirates team since joining the World Tour in 2019.
This announcement, while being a disappointment to many fans, may also open the door to a different narrative surrounding the Olympic road race. While Pogačar would have been among the favorites among many pundits going into the Olympic road race, more focus may be on other riders now.
Some riders to look out for include Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) and Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium) who was the 2016 Olympic road race champion, he has proven his ability to perform at this level.
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