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Tadej Poga\u010dar switched into superfan mode over the weekend to cheer on partner Ur\u0161ka \u017digart, and a Belgian TV presenter spotted an opportunity that was simply too good to pass up.<\/p>\n
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Sporza\u2019s<\/em> Linde Merckpoel approached the five-time Tour de France winner during Sunday\u2019s Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift finale and interviewed the world\u2019s No. 1 cyclist as if he were just another anonymous boyfriend cheering from the side of the road.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you cycle, too?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar got the joke immediately and played along.<\/p>\n The tongue-in-cheek clip has since exploded on Instagram, topping 2 million views and more than 140,000 likes.<\/p>\n The idea was to flip sport\u2019s WAG concept on its head. And Poga\u010dar delivered comic timing to a T.<\/p>\n Sporza<\/em> wanted to find the male partners of Tour de France Femmes stars and treat them like cycling\u2019s answer to WAGs, the \u201cwives and girlfriends\u201d who end up in the headlines at major sporting events.<\/p>\n Merckpoel\u2019s crew had contacted \u017digart\u2019s team, but Poga\u010dar was out for a training ride that morning.<\/p>\n Then they spotted the world champion on course in a camper van along the Col d\u2019\u00c8ze climb.<\/p>\n Merckpoel approached Poga\u010dar unannounced and quickly pitched the idea. He was all in.<\/p>\n \u201cI explained the concept to Poga\u010dar in one minute and he actually immediately realized where we wanted to go,\u201d she said on Sporza<\/em>. \u201cYou also notice that when you watch the video, Pogacar is so smart and funny. If you make such a sketch, the tone and timing are crucial. Otherwise it\u2019s just cringe. But now I had the perfect opponent.\u201d<\/p>\n They stepped behind the camper van to shoot the segment, with \u017digart\u2019s father stepping in to keep curious fans out of the shot.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar, decked out in a T-shirt and hat, happily played along as the superfan boyfriend.<\/p>\n When asked what it was like living in \u017digart\u2019s shadow, he leaned straight in.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is sometimes difficult to be \u2018the boyfriend of\u2019. I try to support her as much as possible and be a good friend, but she is a better partner,\u201d he said in dead-pan delivery.<\/p>\n And yes, apparently he even rides a bike occasionally as well.<\/p>\n \u201cI cycle with her. Sometimes she drops me and sometimes I have to let her go,\u201d he said. \u201cI mainly like to go just for coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n Those are some solid comic chops for a guy who had won his fifth Tour de France a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n Merckpoel then presented Poga\u010dar with a custom T-shirt, with HAB \u2014 \u201cHusbands and Boyfriends\u201d \u2014 on the front, a blue arrow pointing up, and a collage on the back.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar loved it.<\/p>\n He immediately pulled it on and snapped a selfie. Poga\u010dar wore it for the rest of the stage and photos went viral on social media.<\/p>\n \u201cAt first we thought he was just trying to do us a favor, but he had the shirt on the whole stage,\u201d she said. \u201cI think that\u2019s really part of his success. He stands firmly on the ground with both feet.\u201d<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar wasn\u2019t the only UAE superstar embracing support-crew duty at Femmes.<\/p>\n Teammate Isaac del Toro was also roadside over the weekend cheering for partner Romina Hinojosa, who became the first Mexican rider to finish the Tour de France Femmes.<\/p>\n Less than two weeks earlier, \u017digart had been in Paris celebrating Poga\u010dar\u2019s fifth Tour de France victory.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar put his Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a preparation on the back burner and fully embraced superfan mode to return the love.<\/p>\n He was spotted cheering \u017digart on Mont Ventoux, where his enthusiasm saw him break just about every unwritten rule of cycling fan etiquette.<\/p>\n \u017digart, who broke her jaw just weeks before Femmes, finished 19th in Sunday\u2019s final stage and 48th overall.<\/p>\n And Merckpoel saved perhaps the best part of the gag for last.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, I forgot to ask your name?\u201d<\/p>\nA play on WAGs<\/h2>\n
Poga\u010dar commits to the bit<\/h2>\n
Cycling\u2019s HAB moment has arrived<\/h2>\n
Cycling\u2019s super couple switches roles<\/h2>\n