Spending birthday money on socks and sunglasses rather than football boots marked the early priorities of Tadej Pogačar, according to the new Colnago Cultura film POG1: The Making of a Legend premiering on Friday.
- Despite working his way back from a crash that cut short his Vuelta a España and sidelined him from the road worlds and Il Lombardia, Pogačar continues to be a major name in the sport.
- Team camp appearances next month will reveal his 2027 racing calendar.
The documentary explores the Slovenian rider’s origins through interviews with his parents, his partner Urška Žigart, and his longtime mentor Andrej Hauptman. Pogačar’s father recounts how his son initially followed his older brother into football before cycling completely captured his attention.
“As soon as his journey started, it became the only thing in the world that he was interested in. Cycling, cycling,” his father said. “All the money he got for a birthday or something he would spend on socks or sunglasses. Nothing else interested him anymore.”
Eddy Merckx has acknowledged that the 28-year-old could finish his career as the greatest cyclist in history, following a trajectory that began in local Slovenian youth events. Andrej Hauptman, who now works as a sports director for UAE Emirates-XRG, remembers showing up halfway through a 2012 youth event in Ljubljana and spotting a diminutive rider trailing far behind the main group.
“I came in the middle of the race, and one of our riders was really a few hundred meters behind the group,” Hauptman said. “I spoke with the organizer, and said, ‘Why don’t we help this small guy to catch the group?’”
“He said, ‘Who? You mean this one? No, no, he will win. He overlapped the whole peloton,’” Hauptman added.
Pogačar reflects similarly on his early years in the sport without heavy pressure or rigid career targets. “When you’re a kid, you just have fun. You don’t think too much about the future. I realized maybe the second year of juniors and U23 that I could go into the WorldTour and race the biggest races,” Pogačar said.
“The first race I started, I finished last. I didn’t care. I just had such a good time.”
| Documentary Title | Release Date | Primary Focus | Key Data Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| POG1: The Making of a Legend | November 13, 2026 | Childhood, family origins, and early development | Youth races, family interviews, mentor anecdotes |
| Anatomy of a GOAT | Early November 2026 | Physiology and performance metrics | Whoop heart rate data, sleep scores, HRV metrics |
The Colnago release follows Eurosport and TNT’s recent Anatomy of a GOAT project, which emphasized physiological metrics such as Whoop heart rate tracking and sleep variability. While that earlier film mapped his physical output, the new Colnago Cultura release examines his personal background.
Both documentary releases coincide with Pogačar’s recovery phase following a crash that halted his Vuelta a España campaign and forced him to miss the road World Championships and Il Lombardia. He has resumed training ahead of the UAE team camp in Spain next month, where his full 2027 racing schedule will be unveiled.
Disclaimer: The fantasy and market insights provided are for informational and entertainment purposes only and do not constitute financial or betting advice.
