Tadej Pogaczal and Primoš Roglic will co-lead the Slovenian men's elite team at the UCI Road World Championships in Zurich from September 21 to 29.

The national team announced its seven-rider squad and said it aims to medal in both the 46.1km individual time trial on September 22 and the 279.3km road race on September 29.

“This is my third year in this position. We have put a lot of effort into making sure that the best riders competing on the World Tour come to this championship with a common goal,” national director Urosh Murun told MMC RTV.

“Our goal is to win medals in both the time trial and the road race. We have a big rival in the time trial in Primorsch. We are hoping for one medal in the road race, but of course it could be two. Of course it could be two.

Roglic, who will be the only athlete to represent Slovenia in the elite men's time trial, will be one of the strongest seven-man teams in the elite men's road race.

“The road race route is very demanding, with an altitude of 4,500 meters and a total length of 273.9 km. In Zurich, it starts on the flat by the lake, goes to the top, and then around the hill above the lake,” Mahn said.

Pogachar won the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, and earlier this season he won the Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Roglic also won the Vuelta a España and recovered from a big crash at Ituria-Basque in April to win the Criterium du Dauphiné.

“In the modern era of sport, this is unimaginable. This is not only a Slovenian phenomenon, I call it a global phenomenon. We have two riders from a small Slovenia who have won all three weeks of the race in one year,” said Mahn.

“This is unimaginable for the rest of the world. But we must not forget the other riders who have contributed so much to these successes.”

“I understand that the athletes have a program at their clubs that is very crowded, tiring, and they are adjusting to the race and the preparation itself. The athletes also have to take care of their family life. For me personally, I am very honored and proud to be part of this story.”

In addition to Pogachal and Roglic, the team will include Matej Mohoric, Jan Tratnik, Domen Novak, Luka Mejek, and Matevuz Govekal.

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