Riding alongside five-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar required no more than a trip to a local gym, where a journalist joined the Slovenian on a virtual ride hosted by the cycling platform MyWhoosh.
On a Saturday morning, the journalist arrived at the gym in cycling shorts and an oversized T-shirt, drawing confused looks from fellow gym-goers. The plan had originally been to drive to his parents' house and use his dad's indoor bike, but Halloween plans and a Spider-Man costume changed that. Instead, he set up a static bike, connected his phone, and loaded up MyWhoosh for the Ride with Tadej event.
Virtual Ride with the Champion
MyWhoosh, a virtual platform that lets cycling fans race or train in virtual worlds from home, had secured Pogacar for the social ride as a sponsor of UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Pogacar joined from his Monaco home, taking questions from fans. "Thank you, everybody, that came. It's so many people!" he exclaimed.
In the build-up, MyWhoosh hosted challenges allowing players to unlock Pogacar's Tour-winning bike in its iconic yellow colour scheme. The journalist and many others set their avatars to his team jersey and selected the bike, which in real life costs over £11,000 at its cheapest.
Pogacar Opens Up About Crash
For many, it was their first glimpse of Pogacar since a freak crash forced him out of the Vuelta a España, leaving him bloodied and bruised. He discussed the accident that cost him a second Grand Tour victory of the season and the chance to complete the set of all three. It also robbed him of racing at the European Championships in Slovenia and defending his world title at the World Championships in Montreal, where team-mate Brandon McNulty took the rainbow stripes.
"Brandon really deserved this victory," Pogacar said. "He worked so hard through his career. And, obviously, he worked hard also for my goals in the past."
A Unique Fan Experience
The event gave cycling fans a chance to get closer to their hero in a way that would not be possible for most, the journalist noted. Pogacar covered topics from favourite training places to whether he would try gravel riding, before waving goodbye and joking he was off to "finish his breakfast."
He then took a playful swipe at journalists, saying, "I cannot wait for the next one that can answer some real questions, not like questions that journalist asks. No offence to any journalist in the room, but it's just more fun talking with the community. See you, guys."
