Tadej Pogačar Hits Out at Abusive Fan in Strava Blast

Tadej Pogačar wouldn’t stand for becoming the latest pro to suffer an ugly interaction with the cycling public.

The beyond-the-sport superstar hit out on Strava at a fan who eagerly sought a selfie during a training ride in Valencia on Wednesday.

“If you find me in conversation with someone and you ask me for photo, I ask you to give me two minutes to finish talk [sic]. Do you wait two minutes or show me middle finger and take off angry? (And have your partner yelling at me?),” Pogačar wrote on the blurb accompanying his Strava post.

“Long day ended with losing biggest fan. BTW, I love you all. Heck I even like the fans that are not my supporters but don’t have attitude of spoiled teenager,” he wrote.

Pogačar only rarely uploads his workouts for the world to noodle over on Strava.

When he does, they’re typically files from races, group rides, or are accompanied by a promotional or celebratory message.

The world champion’s rare public outburst Wednesday come just weeks after his rival Jonas Vingegaard crashed while being followed by an enthusiastic amateur during a training ride further down the Spanish coast in Málaga.

However, unlike the incident with Vingegaard last month, there’s little detail about what happened between Pogačar and the photo-hunting fan. It’s unknown whether UAE Emirates-XRG’s celebrity cyclist was riding or stationary when the interaction occurred.

Nonetheless, the news marks the latest flashpoint in a growing trend of amateurs riding with or interrupting pros while they work on the open roads.

And this isn’t Pogačar’s first warning to his zealous fan base.

He was famously seen wearing a “do not disturb” jersey when he sought a quiet reboot after going deep to win his fourth Tour de France.

Pogačar debuts his season next month at Strade Bianche.