Urska Žigart’s admiration for Tadej Pogačar goes far beyond his blazing speed or record-breaking strength—what she celebrates most is his heart. In the glow of yet another triumphant win, she shared a beautiful reflection that shone brighter than any podium spotlight. Ever humble, Tadej never lets the accolades get to his head, and Urska’s words captured that essence with poignant warmth.
“He is still Tadej. That boy is so well‑bred,” she remarked in an interview earlier this year, brushing aside the fears others once voiced about fame—and the man she knows remains grounded, even as he scales cycling’s highest peaks. On the road, where every victory demands mental toughness as much as physical strength, his quiet endurance is a powerful counterpoint to his public persona.
For Tadej, Urska isn’t just the person waiting across the finish line—she’s essential to who he is as an athlete and a man. “Without her, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do,” he said, describing how she quietly steadies the whirlwind of competition around him. Earlier still, after the grueling Strade Bianche, he called her “a huge help to me, more than I can admit,” crediting her presence as something that made the victory possible. Their lives are entwined in ways both tender and practical. When asked about fame and excess, Urska offered a window into their reality: “We just go to the Carrefour in our training suit to do the shopping,” she said, a detail that might seem trivial but speaks volumes about their shared values and humility.
Their bond goes beyond affection—it’s built on mutual respect, balance, and shared sacrifice. Urska once noted that Tadej sometimes thinks she sacrifices more for their life together than he does—but she gently refutes this, pointing out that while she might suffer more during training or skip a shower so he can cook, they each contribute in their own ways, and that’s how they keep things balanced.
In moments of triumph and throughout the quiet stretches between, Urska admires not just who he is on the bike—but who he is off of it too. That’s why, for her, the real victory isn’t always about crossing the line first—it’s holding steady to love and humility even when the world is applauding.
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