Although most people can ride a bicycle, cycling is not easy.
you remember the day that your training wheel was removed on your bike for the first time?
Then you realized that a rider needs balance. When you first attempted to climb a hill, you found that the rider also needs strong muscles. When you took a bicycle exam, it became clear to you that it also needed knowledge.
All this is enough for recreational cyclists, while professional riders need something more: outstanding fitness and good training in a good team.
There are some cyclists in Slovenia who are professionals in this sport. Last week, together with other top riders from around the world, they took part in the 25th Tour of Slovenia.
The cyclists faced a different challenge every day.
On the first day they cycled from Lendava to Murska Sobota (159 kilometres), the second day from Maribor to Rogaška Slatina (152.7 kilometres), on Friday from Slovenske Konjice to Celje (175.7 kilometres), on Saturday from Ljubljana to Kamnik (155.2 kilometres) and yesterday from Trebnje to Novo mesto (21 kilometres).
The most demanding was Saturday’s fourth stage, also called the Royal. It got this name because cyclists must conquer some very steep parts of the route during this stage.
This year’s Tour of Slovenia had the most competitors ever. There were 21 teams and 154 riders involved.
This year, 28-year-old Primož Roglič, who won the fourth and fifth stages, was the best rider overall in the race.
In his teens, Primož was a ski jumper, and he began cycling in 2012. Since then, he has had many successes. In 2015, he won the Tour of Slovenia for the first time, and his greatest success so far is the last year’s victory in the 17th stage of the Tour de France.
Point to Consider
- Wen did you learn to ride a bike?
- How does a professional cyclist train?
- Which championship is said to be the most prestigious?
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The original version of this article was published on June 18th.
English translation courtesy of JL Flanner, Total Slovenia News, an English language website with news from and about Slovenia.