Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won the first Ciklokros Ljubljana cyclo-cross race in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Sunday. The two-time Tour de France winner, along with fellow Slovenian pro Luka Mezgec (Team BikeExchange), surprised journalists by announcing their participation just days before the race.

Matvež Govekar of Tirol KTM took the early lead in the Slovenian Cup cyclo-cross race, followed by Mezgec, and on lap 6 of 8, Pogačar overtook Mezgec to take a 15 second lead across the finish line. Govečar finished on the podium 37 seconds behind.

Pogačar's cyclocross skills may surprise some, but the 23-year-old talent is familiar in Slovenia, where he became national champion in 2019. Since then, however, he has focused on road racing. Sunday's race in Ljubljana was a low-key affair, with public participation banned due to coronavirus measures and a new 2.3km course that incorporated a half chamber in the woods and a full staircase element.

Pogačar's participation as a competitor was intended to draw attention to the sport, which has fewer supporters in Slovenia than road or track cycling, and to support the competitors of his youth and junior team, Pogi Team Generali.

In addition to his own victories, Pogachal's young athletes performed well at Cyclocross Ljubljana, reaching the podium in the Boys B and C categories. Up-and-coming junior Natan Gregorcic finished second in the U17 category.

The track is part of a larger effort by KD Rog, the parent organization of Pogi Team Generali and UCI Continental Team Ljubljana Gusto Santic, to expand cycling sports in Ljubljana. The club's new president, UAE Team Emirates sports director Andrei Hauptmann, himself a former member of the club, told Cycling News by phone of his plans for a new cycling center and the establishment of an under-23 team.

Despite being banned from spectating today, a video from social media showed Pogachar hopping on his bike and powering up the stairs. He finished with a triumphant smile on his face, despite slipping on a muddy corner and bleeding his nose.