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Leader Pogacar keeps ear on partner's progress in middle of Tour stage

Leader Pogacar keeps ear on partner's progress in middle of Tour stage

Reuters4 days ago
July 12 (Reuters) - Tadej Pogacar may be concentrating intensely on winning his fourth Tour de France, but in the middle of Saturday's stage eight he was just as focused on how his partner Urska Zigart was performing in the Giro d'Italia Women.
Slovenia's golden couple of cycling are engaged to be married and even have a children's book featuring them as the main characters.
Reigning Tour champion Pogacar, 26, regained the leader's yellow jersey after winning Friday's stage, and with Saturday's race at a more leisurely pace until the sprint finish, he was kept up to date on Zigart's result by his team.
"Today, Urska seventh place at Giro d'Italia stage," UAE Team Emirates told him via their team radio.
"And in the General Classification?" Pogacar asked.
"Wait, wait, we still don't have info, maybe ninth but we will check when it will be official, we will tell you okay?" his team replied.
Zigart actually moved from 10th to eight overall in the Giro after Saturday's penultimate stage, while Pogacar finished safely in the main bunch to remain 54 seconds ahead of his nearest Tour de France challenger Remco Evenepoel.
Pogacar and 28-year-old Zigart became engaged in 2021, and at other times in their career it has been easier to keep up to date with one another's successes. In 2020 and 2023 they both became Slovenian National Time Trial champions on the same day.
Pogacar withdrew from the Slovenian team for last year's Olympics due to extreme fatigue having won both the Giro and Tour de France but also cited Zigart's omission from the women's team as a factor in his decision.
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