The story of Tadej Pogacar and Urska Zigart has become a fairy tale, but not one where a prince saves his princess from a spell or a castle tower, but rather an illustrated album created with the intent of encouraging children to ride bikes. The Slovenian couple is the protagonist of "Pogi pa Pika", a project aimed at encouraging people, especially children, to do sports and cycle.

The book is written and illustrated by Uroš Grilca and Gregor Goršič and tells the story of a fairy-tale world of elves, giants, and dragons, which will inspire both young and old to ride bicycles, according to the publishing house Škrateljc.

Pogacar and Urska are already active in many youth-oriented works, and this book will be another step in this direction.

Škrateljc is a publishing house and institute based in Slovenia that promotes naturalistic and cultural activities, publishes books, and manages outdoor routes as part of its awareness-raising activities focused particularly on youth and more vulnerable groups. It is precisely for this reason that Pogacar accepted the idea of participating in this project, where he will transform from a real-world figure into a drawing to send a positive message to the youngest.

Pogacar is currently the strongest rider in the world and therefore has a significant impact on young Slovenians, who are used to seeing him in advertisements and TV programs and enthusiastically follow his races. So when the book idea was born, it was easy to immediately identify the main character. The Slovenian champion has won three Tour de France and is the big favorite to defend his title this year, with the Grande Boucle in July being his next race, and there will also be anticipation for the World Championships in Rwanda where he will again be among the favorites.

Pogacar has already won 11 races this season, including Strade Bianche, the Tour of Flanders, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, as well as the overall classifications of the UAE Tour and the Critérium du Dauphiné.

His partner Urska Zigart is also well-known in Slovenia, not only for her love story with Tadej Pogacar but also for her sporting achievements. She is a four-time national time trial champion and national road race champion, and will try to repeat her success at the Slovenian Championships next week.