Sawt Falasteen - Four-time Tour de France winner Pogacar - greatest cyclist of his generation

On his swaggering romp across France on his way to a fourth Tour de France title on Sunday, one could still catch glimpses of the boy desperate to beat his brother in the hills outside Ljubljana.

But now Pogacar has also learned to curb some of his gung-ho instincts, which not only lifted him to success at times, but were also behind his rare defeats.

In 2024 he won the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the world title, a feat known as cycling's Triple Crown and won only by Merckx in 1974 and Stephen Roche in 1987.

Pogacar's dominance of the current scene is without doubt, but the kangaroo courts of social media are asking another question, one that will forever dog cycling -- is Pogacar for real?

Pogacar, a proven combative all-rounder capable of taking on mountain climbs as easily as flat sprints, has never tested positive at any time in his career.

"I'm a good boy from a good family, taking no short cuts in life," he told AFP.

He does indeed appear to be surrounded by a good family, a school teacher mother and a furniture designer father who live in the same village in the hills outside the Slovenian capital where he grew up.

He shares a home with his fiance and fellow cyclist Urska Zigart in Monaco when their programmes allow, while his firm friend and off-season traing partner cyclist Michael Matthews of Australia is a near neighbour.

"He hasn't changed, he's such a humble guy. He just wants to have fun and enjoy his riding," Matthews said.

Pogacar is credited with having recreated that family spirit at his Team UAE, with whom he signed a 54-million-dollar six-year contract last November, according to Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport.

- 'No pretences' -

Teammate Pavel Sivakov told AFP that Pogacar was easy to deal with and a constantly positive personality.

"He's always super relaxed and easy to work with. Mentally he's always focused on the positives. We know he's always going to deliver whatever he can. He's humble and good for the atmosphere in the team," said Sivakov.

While most agree there is something boyish about Pogacar, there are signs he has grown up.

"This is my sixth Tour de France now, I miss the white jersey," he told reporters, referring to the jersey worn by the best-placed rider aged 26 and under.

In taking on his great rival, the two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard, Pogacar has galvanised his team and forced them to control the peloton, leading to accusations of arrogance.

"There's a difference between arrogance and trying to win a Tour de France," retorted the man who psyches himself up by listening to Slovenian rapper Drill.

He still rides a bike with a sticker of the Incredible Hulk on it, joking: "He's the one you shouldn't make angry."

Fellow Slovenian Matej Mohoric, himself a junior world champion and elite rider for the Bahrain Victorious team, said this week that Pogacar was a true great.

"He was born with a machine inside him, and he was born with the brain to use that machine," Mohoric said.

There will always be doubters, but during his victorious charge across France, Pogacar was already scanning the horizon for the next win.

"Unlike a lot of cyclists I haven't booked any holidays, so maybe I'll race the Vuelta," he said of the Spanish Tour, which starts on August 23.

He will also be in the Rwandan capital Kigali in September to defend the world road race title.

T.Khatib--SF-PST