“Not even in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that our boys would ever be as good as Pogačar and Roglič are now. Never,” says fan Sandi, who is one of the crowd of Slovenians at the cycling fan festival in Sveti Višarje.
“Mala Planica” – that’s the Slovenian cycling ace Primož Roglič said that he wants to see today’s brutal mountain time trial on Svete Visar, which will give the winner of the 106th Tour of Italy. Due to the proximity of the Slovenian border, fans have been flocking to the track from various directions since morning – of course, most of them are those with Slovenian flags.
In Višarje, where at the peak of the season so far a maximum of five thousand visitors have been counted, today 15,000 people are expected. The weather also helps visitors, as it is sunny and warm. In Trbiž and its surroundings, everything is dressed in pink, all accommodations are occupied.
“I’ve followed cycling before, when Valjavec, Koren, Brajkovič were riding, but mostly the Tour. This is the first time I’m on the route of a big race. The scenery is very beautiful, everything is very interesting,” said Sandi from Ljubljana for Val 202, and his son Rok added: “It’s great, I can’t wait for it to start. My dad and I are both equally passionate fans.”
Earlier, another fan said: “Our preparations took a month, because we knew that Primož would definitely be at the top. We just waited for the Italians to tell us how everything would be organized. We went early in the morning. The parking lots are well marked. We’ll go to the top on foot otherwise , and of course equipped with all the props to give all the support to Primož – victory is ours.”
Many will go to the top on foot along the pilgrimage route, because three thousand tickets for the cable car to Višarje were sold out in one day. Due to the narrow road, access for spectators will be limited during the most difficult part of the time trial. 600 million people are expected to watch the event on television.
Otherwise, Roglič will not hit the track until after 5 p.m., which means that the fans will have plenty of time to socialize and cheer.
Source: Rtvslo
