Tour de France champion Tadej Pogachar said that Slovenia's decision not to select his fiancée, Urška Zigato, for the Paris Olympics was one of the reasons he declined to compete.

Pogachar withdrew from selection in the road race on August 3, and the Slovenian Olympic team confirmed the news earlier this week. Fatigue was cited as the reason for his withdrawal.

Before the Dutch post-Tour de France criterium, Profonde Schluchstafen, on Wednesday, Pogaczar revealed that the absence of Zigato was also a factor in his withdrawal.

“That wasn't the main reason, but it certainly didn't help,” he said. I think she deserves the spot.” She's a two-time national champion in road racing and time trials.”

“She's the only Slovenian female cyclist to finish in the top 10 of a week-long World Tour race.

“She's been a major contributor to Slovenia's points haul over the last two years, and we wouldn't have gotten two spots in the road race without her.

Zigato, who won the Slovenian time trial title by 4:34 and the road race title by 10:47, was left out of the team when the selection committee announced the national team earlier this month.

35-year-old Eugenia Bujak and 38-year-old Urska Pintar, who finished second in the Slovenian road race, were selected to replace her in both the road race and time trial.

Pogačar, who was recently honored in Slovenia as part of a homecoming celebration after winning the Tour de France, responded to the news in a social media post, saying, “Two-time national champion and the best Slovenian cyclist in the World Tour I am disgusted by the fact that Urška Zigato was not selected for the Olympics,” he wrote.

Zigato, who said she was informed of the decision before the Tour de Suisse, also said she did not agree with the decision.

“I never thought I would reach such heights. I accepted this decision a long time ago,” she wrote on social media. 'I have absolutely no intention of forcing you to participate. Especially because I don't want to race in a place where people don't appreciate me, and I don't want to be around people who will only bring me down.”

“However, I am allowed to express my disapproval at being omitted from the selection process and to point out that there are no real objective criteria in the selection process.”

Unlimited access to all coverage of the 2024 Olympics - including breaking news and analysis reported by journalists on the ground from all road, mountain bike, track, and BMX racing events. More info.