Three days after joining Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil and Miguel Indurain as a five-time Tour de France winner, Tadej Pogačar is back in Komenda.
The Slovenian returns to his hometown for the Pogi Challenge, a three-day cycling festival that opens on Friday and doubles as a fundraiser for families whose homes were damaged when a violent storm struck the municipality on 10 June.
More than 150 homes and other buildings were damaged in and around Komenda in the storm, according to the Tadej Pogačar Foundation, which has pledged €100,000 to the municipality for distribution to the worst-hit households.
“In early June, a devastating storm struck Tadej’s hometown of Komenda, leaving more than 150 homes and buildings damaged and changing the lives of many families overnight,” the foundation said in a statement.
The race-worn shoes from Pogačar’s 2026 Milano-Sanremo victory will be auctioned separately, with all proceeds going to the same fund.
His torn winner’s jersey from that race fetched a record €95,100 at auction earlier this year.
Three days on home roads
The festival opens with the Tadej Pogačar Criterium on Friday evening, a 35-lap points race on a 980-metre circuit through the streets of Komenda.
An official homecoming reception for the Tour winner is scheduled after the elite race, followed by a concert by Slovenian singer Magnifico.
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Saturday is family day, with the Junior Pogi Challenge for children between one and eleven years old, plus fan-zone entertainment.
Sunday’s centerpiece is the S Klanca v klanc climb, a mass-start ride from Komenda to the summit of Krvavec. The event website lists 1,177 places on the 15-kilometre climb, which averages 7.9 percent and gains 1,177 metres of altitude.
The recreational riders start first; Pogačar leaves minutes behind them and tries to overtake as many as he can before the top.
All proceeds from the weekend go to the Pogačar Foundation and the storm relief fund.
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Fifth title sealed in Paris
Pogačar sealed the fifth Tour title on Sunday by 6 minutes and 26 seconds over Remco Evenepoel, having claimed five stage wins across three weeks. Mexican Isaac del Toro rounded out the podium.
“Thank you to all the fans and to all of France for hosting this great race,” Pogačar said after the finish in Paris.
“Thank you to my competitors for putting on a great show. We fought hard over the last three weeks.”
The criterium starts at 7:30pm local time on Friday.
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