Rodrigo Mattiuz, a keen racer in the club who documents his journey on social media, flew to Slovenia in October to take on the Pogi Challenge. This unique event sees hundreds compete against the best cyclist in the world on his hometown climb to see how long they can keep away.
The ascent from Komenda to Krvavec is 14.9km in length and tops out at 1,189m, with a 7.6 per cent average gradient that spikes up to 22 per cent in some sections. Pogačar was there too, fresh from his memorable Il Lombardia win just the day before.
Not only did Rodrigo latch on to Pogačar’s wheel, but he finished 62nd overall out of nearly 1,000 competitors on the day in what he has described as his “best ever day on the bike”.
This is how he did it.
Q: What first drew you to the Pogi Challenge?
If something says “challenge”, then my name is usually written on it! I love Slovenia and climbing mountains.
Who would not want the opportunity to try and hold the wheel of the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time), Tadej Pogačar?!
Q: How did you train for the event and what were your goals?
I did my normal training up until 10 days to go, with a few more hill reps considering we were approaching hill climb season. I climbed Swains Lane and competed in the London Dynamo Hill Climb Championships at Denbies Wine Estate just before heading out.
In the last 10 days, which I documented on my social media, I specifically trained short and mid-length climbs. These typically targeted climbs of around 2-3km in length, at an average of 10 per cent, and longer 4-5km climbs at 6-8 per cent, with the aim of replicating the challenge itself.
I trained for a couple of days in Italy and the final eight in Slovenia. This helped me a lot, especially with good weather, a nice landscape and decent roads.
Q: Tell us about the moment you met Tadej. What was your plan for following – and staying – on his wheel, and how was the experience itself?
The plan was to hit the climb in zone 3, or at about 80-85 per cent, to split up the group behind and considering how steep the gradients were at the beginning. They averaged 11 per cent for the first two kilometres.
Pogi caught me earlier than I expected, with 8km to go. I planed a full-gas push to stay on his wheel, but unfortunately, a slightly slower rider cut me off when Tadej passed me, so I had to sprint to take back around 70-80 metres.
Taking back those metres from Tadej is definitely not easy!
I also managed to sneak in a selfie before the start, when he was about to stop on the side of the road before starting. That picture game me an incredible buzz of energy and excitement before I even began the challenge. And last but not least, the Slovenian fans have been absolutely amazing! They were cheering us from the first kilometre to the last, shouting “gremo!” and “bravo!” all the way up. It has been amazing to both race and ride with so many riders from all over the world.
Q: What did you learn about yourself – such as your limits, mindset, and strategy – through this challenge
One of my personal mantras is that limits are there to be challenged, and a 15km climb is definitely a great challenge to overcome. Preparation is really important and I am glad that I took some time off to prepare those last few days really well.
I believe that it is really important to take the right time, rest, and prepare with the right plan if you want to take on such a challenge.
Q: If you could do it again, what would you do differently? And why?
Maybe make sure there are no riders around when Tadej comes through, and add an extra camera to film some more! I would definitely book a few more days off in Slovenia, which is the perfect place for training if you are cycling. For the challenge and my performance itself, I wouldn’t change anything. I am so proud that I finished 62nd from a group just shy of 1,000 riders, and that I managed to complete it in just under an hour!
Watch more on Rodrigo’s You Tube channel.
