STA, 21 September 2020 - Slovenia is celebrating Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič for their first and second overall place at the Tour de France in what is a historic feat for the nation that had already been crazed by past successes. The cycling euphoria is now reaching a new peak.

Pogačar crossed the finish line of the world's most prestigious road cycling race in Paris on Sunday after having already secured the win a day earlier with a superb performance in the penultimate, mountain stage.

It was a surprise twist at the only time trial of the race, as the 21-year-old had been trailing his older compatriot Primož Roglič, who had been an undisputed favourite throughout the race, by almost a minute.

Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) came aggressively right out of the gate to overtake the yellow jersey from the visibly exhausted Roglič (Jumbo-Visma), beating him by almost two minutes in what expert say was one of the most sensational performances in cycling history.

He became the second youngest winner of the Tour de France, and is the first 21-year-old to win the greatest of the three-week Grand Tour races as a newcomer after France's Laurent Fignon in 1983.

He is also the first to wear the yellow jersey (general classification leader), the polka dot jersey (best in the mountainous classification) and the white jersey as the best young rider.

After clinching the win, Pogačar said that "I think I'm dreaming. I really don't know what to say," and after arriving in the French capital he told reporters that "this is incredible, standing here in Paris on the top step of the podium."

"I never thought I would be here. It's been an amazing three-week adventure. I have to thank everyone who's been involved in the preparation for the race, everyone in my team and my family."

Despite his talent, Pogačar's victory is in a way a surprise given that his first three-week race was only last year's Vuelta, where he placed third, and the fact that his older compatriot Roglič was a clear-cut favourite among the Slovenians.

Roglič (29) was visibly disappointed but said the failure to win the Tour - his ultimate goal that seemed so close - could prove motivation for future. The ski jumper-cum-rider won Spain's Vuelta and placed third at Giro d'Italia last year.

"I'm super proud. I'm proud of what I managed to do and us as a team which really put on super shows throughout the three weeks. I wouldn't change a single thing, there are no regrets, the best rider has won, so sincere congratulations to Tadej," he said.

Many Slovenian fans came to Paris to cheer their winning champions, including President Borut Pahor, while locals in Pogačar and Roglič's home towns celebrated with open-air parties.

Congratulations and praise for both are still pouring in, with many experts agreeing that Pogačar's performance in the penultimate stage was one of the ages, which transcends any past performance of an up-and coming rider.

Slovenia's double victory was preceded by an epic battle between the two Slovenians, and the likes of the cycling legends Sean Kelly and Eddy Merckx labelled the eventual winner as one of the greatest riders of the current millennium.

Slovenian Andrej Hauptman, one of the directors of UAE Team Emirates, said Pogačar was a great gem of Slovenian cycling, and added that neither him nor Roglič had boundaries they were not able to cross.

The surprise win has also been making headlines internationally, with The Guardian saying "it was a strange Tour but the winner looks like he is here to stay at the head of exciting young breed of cyclists."

La Gazzetta dello Sport said that Pogačar had a brave heart, as he conquered the wind as his greatest enemy, and the French L'Equipe said that the Slovenian wonder had won what was his first Tour De France.

Sports media appear unanimous in the assessment that Pogačar has already become the main favourite in all future three-week races he will participate in, and that he could remain on the cycling throne for more than a decade.

The cycling papers speculate that the 2020s may become the battleground between Pogačar, Colombia's Egan Bernal and another cycling wunderkind, Remco Evenepoel of Belgium.

STA, 17 September 2020 - Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar, the first- and second-placed riders in this year's Tour de France, braved what was the final tough stage in the Alps on Thursday without major difficulties, reaffirming the likelihood of a historic double Slovenian victory in the general classification.

Finishing fourth in today's 168km stage from Meribel to La Roche-sur-Forontoday in a group arriving just under two minutes behind stage winner Michal Kwiatkowski of Poland, Roglič retained the yellow jersey and his 57 seconds lead on Pogačar.

Pogačar, the best young rider at the Tour, was fifth today. He lost his polka dot jersey of the best climber to Ecuadorian rider Richard Carapaz, who finished second today.

With a relatively easy stage scheduled for Friday and the final stage to Paris on Sunday, the winner of this year's Tour is likely to be determined in Saturday's 36-kilometre time trail with a summit finish at Planche des Belles Filles.

Roglič and Pogačar are both considered strong time trial riders, stronger than Colombia's Miguel Angel Lopez, who is placed third, one minute and 27 seconds behind Roglič.

STA, 13 September 2020 - Slovenian riders claimed a third double win at the Tour de France as Tadej Pogačar won the 15th stage of the race and Primož Roglič came in second, keeping the overall leader's yellow jersey. Colombian Egan Bernal, the defending champion, has been left in the dust by Roglič's Jumbo-Visma team.

During the summit finish atop the Grand Colombier, Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) was left far behind and out of the race for the overall win, losing seven minutes and 20 seconds.

Jumbo-Visma set a blistering pace, with Roglič at the helm, however Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) was the only one able to outmatch him at today's 174.5-km stage, which featured three steep climbs.

The 21-year-old, wearing the young rider leader's white jersey, now sits only 40 seconds behind Roglič and his yellow jersey.

"So far, Roglič has seemed unstoppable; today broke Bernal, perhaps on another day, it will be me or Roglič. We can't know that for sure," said Pogačar, who is now the youngest rider to have bagged two stage wins in the past 86 years of the race, according to RTV Slovenija data. He also vowed to keep up the pace.

Roglič meanwhile thanked his team and pointed out that the key stages were yet to come. "It would have been good if I had gained four seconds, but I was too short and Tadej was too good today. Nevertheless, I'm satisfied," said Roglič, who will don the yellow jersey for the seventh time on Tuesday.

Colombian Rigoberto Uran (EF Pro Cycling) ranks third in the overall standings, with a minute and 34 seconds between him and Roglič.

The 30-year-old became the first Slovenian ever to claim the leader's jersey of the most prestigious cycling race in the world a week ago.

This is also the first time ever that two Slovenian competitors top the overall rankings at the Tour.

Monday will be a rest day for the riders and a third series of coronavirus tests will be performed.

STA, 11 September 2020 - Slovenian riders Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar took the top two positions in the overall standings at the Tour de France on Friday after finishing the 13th stage of the race well ahead of the top contenders for the overall win.

Roglič (Jumbo-Visma), who has held the yellow jersey since stage nine, and Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who was seventh heading into today's stage, finished six minutes behind the stage winner Daniel Martinez (EF Pro Cycling).

But more importantly, they left many top riders far behind, allowing Roglič to more than double his overall lead to 44 seconds and Pogačar to jump to second place in what was a tricky stage with a total elevation gain of 4400 metres.

This is the first time ever that two Slovenian competitors top the overall rankings at the Tour. The pair, sometimes referred to as Rog & Pog, already made Slovenian cycling history in previous stages, finishing two of them as the first and second-placed.

STA, 11 September 2020 - Ljubljana Marathon received the green light on Friday from the National Institute for Public Health (NIJZ) to host on 25 October what is known as the largest running event in the country. Although significantly downsized due to coronavirus, the marathon will be held, director Gojko Zalokar confirmed for the STA.

As customary, the tracks will be 10, 21 and 42 kilometres long, Zalokar said.

The organisers started accepting applications for the event in early March, only days before the epidemic was declared in the country. Ever since, talks have been under way on how and whether to carry out the marathon.

Because of coronavirus restrictions, this year only up to 500 participants will be able to take part, including 50 representatives of the organisers. So far, the annual event usually attracted almost 14,000 runners.

This year's marathon will be 25th, but the anniversary will be marked next year, Zalokar said.

Applications for this year's event will be accepted as of 1 October. Only the first 450 runners to apply will be able to take part.

The organisers invite all those who will not be able to apply to take part in the virtual marathon.

Those who had registered in the first round have the option of transferring the registration fee to 2021 or get a refund.

STA, 6 September - Slovenian riders made history at the Tour de France yet again as Tadej Pogačar won the 9th stage and Primož Roglič came in second to take the overall leader's yellow jersey.

Swiss rider Marc Hirschi (Sunweb) made an escape 50 kilometres into the 153-kilometre mountainous stage between Pau and Laruns, only to get caught up by Roglič (Jumbo Visma), Pogačar (UAE), Egan Bernal (Ineos) and Mikel Landa (Bahrain McLaren) 1.7 kilometre ahead of the finish line.

The devilish tempo was dictated by Roglič, a pre-race favourite for the overall victory, who secured the virtual yellow jersey on the climb to the Marie Blanque pass, while Hirschi was the first to break into sprint.

Although the Swiss was in the best position to win the stage, Pogačar blasted past him, followed by Roglič, who squeezed ahead by a whisker just before the finish line, so Hirschi had to settle for the third.

The finish in Laruns was where Roglič won his second Tour de France stage win two years ago for the 4th spot overall. This time he has become the first Slovenian ever to claim the leader's jersey of the most prestigious cycling race in the world.

"The yellow jersey is great. It's our goal and I hope to have it on in Paris. This was definitely a good stage for us," Roglič, 30, commented for RTV Slovenija, after taking the leader's jersey off Briton Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott).

Overall, Roglič is now 21 seconds ahead of Columbian Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) and 28 seconds ahead of France's Guillaume Martin (Cofidis). Pogačar advanced to 7th overall with a lag of 44 seconds behind his compatriot.

Roglič lauded his young rival. "I'd like congratulate Tadej first, today we changed places from the fourth stage. He is really strong," he said, referring to the first Slovenian double win at this year's Tour. This is their third such feat including the Tour of Spain last year.

"It'd be great if everything was so easy. What can I say, Slovenians have obviously become a cycling powerhouse, just like the Colombians," he said.

"I only wanted to gain as much time as possible overall, but I saw we didn't gain much compared to competition. That's why I tried to get the bonus seconds in the last few metres. I don't really know how I did it, I just sprinted as fast as I could," Pogačar commented on his feat.

STA, 1 September 2020 - Slovenia's cycling star Primož Roglič won the fourth stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday, while Tadej Pogačar in second place helped secure a historic double win for Slovenia.

Roglič, the Vuelta a Espana champion who is also among the prime candidates for final overall victory at the Tour, won the uphill sprint in Orcieres-Merlette in the Alps after 160.5 kilometres of racing that began in Sisteron.

While this is the third individual stage victory at the Tour for Roglič, who also clinched wins in 2017 and 2018, the 30-year-old did not yet secure the yellow jersey of the overall leader.

The Jumbo-Visma captain advanced to third place, three seconds behind Britain's Adam Yates and seven seconds behind French rider Julian Alaphilippe.

"It was quite a fast day actually, quite hard, but the guys did a very good job again, I was in a good position all along. At the end I was able to deliver a nice sprint, so I'm very happy," Roglič said after the race.

He added he did not really care that the yellow jersey was not his yet. What is important is that "we stayed safe and at the end even won".

As for his continuing recovery after a crash two weeks ago, he said "I'm coming back ... I feel a little better every day, it's nice to ride a bike again".

Meanwhile, Pogačar, a 21-year-old member of UAE Team Emirates, consolidated his fourth position overall and donned the white jersey of the best young rider.

According to public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, Pogačar became the youngest holder of the white jersey in the last 32 years.