Tadej Pogačar has earned (almost) every kind of prize and award in cycling, but this has to be a first. The Slovenian and multi-time world champion was honoured with a bowing golden statue in his likeness this week.
Pogačar was visiting the United Aram Emirates (UAE) as part of a team visit by UAE-Emirates to its sponsor’s home country. After signing autographs, and splitting a Tour/Giro cake with Elisa Longo Borghini, the team’s sponsors and hosts honoured Pogačar with an extra-special thank you. A golden statue of their golden boy and his iconic finish celebrations.
The bowing golden Pogačar unveiled in Abu Dhabi is approximately lifesize. The Slovenian is shown standing next to his metallic likeness giving a thumbs-up while supporters and sponosors look on. Pogačar and the UAE teams were at the Abu Dabhi Cycling Club for the unveiling. The team also participated in social rides and other ceremonies during their visit to the UAE.
While Pogačar wins with such relentless frequency that he mixes up his victory celebrations, the various versions of his finish line bow are particularly iconic. This is a celebration that the dominant rider regularly pulls out at the Tour de France, which he also wins at quite regularly.
The statue is nice, but far from the best, or even most interesting statue of a cyclist. Somewhere atop the Taaienberg in Flanders is a statue of Tom Boonen’s legs in bronze.
Notable among the UAE riders many victories this season are a repeat of his road world championships win and a fourth Tour de France title. The latter, Pogačar describes as his hardest yet, claiming he nearly dropped out of the race.
“I wanted a big win there, especially revenge on the Col de la Loze,” he said. “But after Ventoux, I started having knee problems. The weather was awful, freezing cold. I doubted if I’d continue. My body was in shock.”
The admission showed some small chips in the armour of UAE’s dominant cyclist.
The UAE itself, meanwhile, is making headlines again for far less illustrious reasons this week.