Tour de France: Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar lead race going into last two stages
- Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar lead race going into last two stages and either would be first winner from Slovenia
- Nation of just two million is known for ski jumpers, skiers and basketball players such as NBA star Luka Doncic
Tiny Slovenia is on edge. Two of its own, Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar, go into the last two stages of the Tour de France first and second in the general classification.
Neither has won the Tour before. If one of them does this weekend, they will also be the first champion from Slovenia.
The nation of just two million people, known more for its alpine skiers, ski jumpers and basketball players such as NBA star Luka Doncic than cyclists, is expected to come to a standstill on Saturday as it watches the 20th and penultimate stage that is likely to decide the Tour winner.
After Stage 19 on Friday, Roglic was still in the yellow jersey and leading Pogacar by 57 seconds.
The Tour has gripped Slovenes since Roglic won Stage 4, then became the first Slovene to wear the yellow jersey after Stage 9. He has not take it off since then, and is poised to win a second straight Grand Tour after taking the Spanish Vuelta last year. But Pogacar has been on his countryman’s rear wheel for a week, and is a serious threat.
Their race within the race has thousands of Slovenes wearing yellow jerseys, and wishing coronavirus-enforced travel restrictions weren’t preventing them from being in Paris for the finish on Sunday.
