CYCLISTS from Slovenia

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Slovene Cyclists of all time. This list of famous Slovene Cyclists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Slovene Cyclists.

1. Primož Roglič (b. 1989)

With an HPI of 49.22, Primož Roglič is the most famous Slovene Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 35 different languages on wikipedia.

Primož Roglič (Slovene pronunciation: [ˈpɾiːmɔʃ ˈɾɔːɡlitʃ] ; born 29 October 1989) is a Slovenian professional racing cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe. A former ski jumper, Roglič switched to cycling after an accident suffered at Planica. Despite becoming a professional at the relatively late age of 23, Roglič has since become one of the most successful cyclists of his generation, with many notable wins in time trials, one-week stage races, and Grand Tours. Roglič has won five Grand Tours, including the Vuelta a España a record-tying four times (2019, 2020, 2021, and 2024), and the Giro d'Italia in 2023. He was the first Slovenian to win either race. Roglič has also finished second overall at the 2020 Tour de France, becoming the first Slovenian to wear the yellow jersey before losing out to compatriot Tadej Pogačar. In 2020, when Roglič won the cycling monument Liège–Bastogne–Liège in addition to his Grand Tour success, he won the Vélo d'Or, which is awarded to the most successful cyclist of the racing season. In 2021, he won an Olympic gold medal in the men's individual time trial, Slovenia's first cycling medal. Between 2019 and 2021, Roglič held the No. 1 ranking in the UCI Men's road racing world ranking for 75 weeks (a former record) and has twice finished as the year-end No. 1.

2. Tadej Pogačar (b. 1998)

With an HPI of 45.55, Tadej Pogačar is the 2nd most famous Slovene Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 38 different languages.

Tadej Pogačar (Slovene pronunciation: [taˈdɛ́ːj pɔˈɡáːtʃaɾ] ; born 21 September 1998) is a Slovenian professional cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam UAE Team Emirates. His victories include three Tours de France (2020, 2021 and 2024), the 2024 Giro d'Italia, and seven one-day Monuments (Tour of Flanders once, Liège–Bastogne–Liège twice and Giro di Lombardia four times), as well as the World Championship Road Race. Comfortable in time-trialing, one-day classic riding and grand-tour climbing, he has been compared to legendary all-round cyclists such as Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault as one of the sport's greatest. In 2024 he became only the third male cyclist, after Eddy Merckx in 1974 and Stephen Roche in 1987, to achieve the Triple Crown of Cycling, winning the Giro, the Tour, and the World Championships in the same year. He is the only rider in history who took the Triple Crown and two different monuments (Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Giro di Lombardia) in the same year. Born in Komenda, Slovenia, Pogačar was a successful junior rider, winning the 2018 Tour de l'Avenir. Aged 20 in 2019, he became the youngest cyclist to win a UCI World Tour race at the Tour of California, and won three stages of the Vuelta a España en route to an overall third-place finish and the young rider title. In both his 2020 debut at the Tour de France and the following year, he won three stages and the race overall, as well as the mountains and young-rider classifications, becoming the only rider to win these three classifications simultaneously. 2021 also saw Pogačar's first successes in the major Monument one day races, at the Giro di Lombardia and Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Subsequent seasons saw further wins in these, with the Tour of Flanders also added to his palmarès in 2023. Meanwhile in the Grand Tours, Pogačar had consecutive 2nd place finishes in the Tour de France to Jonas Vingegaard, with whom his rivalry is considered to be one of the greatest of all time. This run ended in 2024 when he completed the first Giro d'Italia and Tour de France double since 1998, winning 12 stages across both races. Pogačar has been praised for his attacking riding style, an approach which Pogačar himself has jokingly referred to as a "stupid instinct" during a time when many others have ridden more conservatively to manage energy levels. His aim to be competitive across both the Monuments and Grand Tours has been labelled as a return to "classic" bike racing of the 1960s–1980s, and this success across multiple fronts has led to him being the UCI road racing world No.1 for a record total number of weeks and record number of consecutive weeks.

3. Matej Mohorič (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 38.25, Matej Mohorič is the 3rd most famous Slovene Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Matej Mohorič (born 19 October 1994) is a Slovenian professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Team Bahrain Victorious. Mohorič turned professional in 2014. He won the Slovenian National Road Race Championships in 2018 and 2021, and the UCI Gravel World Championships in 2023.

4. Tadej Valjavec (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 36.29, Tadej Valjavec is the 4th most famous Slovene Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Tadej Valjavec (born 13 April 1977 in Kranj) is a Slovenian former professional road bicycle racer, who last competed for the Sava team. He is well known as a good climber due to his rides on mountain stages in the Giro d'Italia. Although he has achieved relatively few professional wins in his career, he has consistently performed well in the Grand Tours, with three top ten and four further top 20 finishes.

5. Janez Brajkovič (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 36.14, Janez Brajkovič is the 5th most famous Slovene Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Janez "Jani" Brajkovič (born 18 December 1983) is a racing cyclist from Metlika, Slovenia, who most recently rode for UCI Continental team Adria Mobil. He was the world under-23 Time Trial champion in 2004. In 2018, while riding for the Adria Mobil team, Brajkovič was suspended after a positive anti-doping test. He was banned for just over a year, and once his suspension was complete, he rejoined the Adria Mobil team.

6. Simon Špilak (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 35.75, Simon Špilak is the 6th most famous Slovene Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Simon Špilak (born 23 June 1986) is a retired Slovenian professional road bicycle racer.

7. Borut Božič (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 35.16, Borut Božič is the 7th most famous Slovene Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Borut Božič (born 8 August 1980) is a Slovenian former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2004 and 2018 for the Perutnina Ptuj, Team LPR, Cycle Collstrop, Vacansoleil–DCM, Astana, Cofidis and Bahrain–Merida teams. Considered a sprinter in the mold of Óscar Freire, Božič's career highlights include winning the 2007 Tour de Wallonie, victory in the first stage of the 2009 Tour de Pologne (plus two days in the leader's jersey), winning the sixth stage of the 2009 Vuelta a España, and winning stage five of the 2011 Tour de Suisse. Božič worked as a directeur sportif for the Bahrain–Merida team up to October 2019 but in that month was issued with a 2-year ban for his links to the doping ring uncovered by Operation Aderlass.

8. Gorazd Štangelj (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 35.15, Gorazd Štangelj is the 8th most famous Slovene Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Gorazd Štangelj (born 27 January 1973 in Novo Mesto) is a Slovenian former professional road bicycle racer, who raced as a professional between 1997 and 2011. He currently works as a directeur sportif for UCI WorldTeam Team Bahrain Victorious.

9. Jan Tratnik (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 34.48, Jan Tratnik is the 9th most famous Slovene Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Jan Tratnik (born 23 February 1990 in Ljubljana) is a Slovenian cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Visma–Lease a Bike. Professional since 2009, he has won the 2024 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and a stage of the 2020 Giro d'Italia. Tratnik is also a four time Slovenian national time trial champion and a one-time national road race champion.

10. Grega Bole (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 33.23, Grega Bole is the 10th most famous Slovene Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Grega Bole (born 13 August 1985 in Jesenice, Yugoslavia) is a Slovenian professional road bicycle racer, who most recently rode for UCI WorldTeam Bahrain–McLaren. His biggest victory is the 2011 GP Ouest–France, where he launched a solo attack with 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to go. He held on as the field was closing in rapidly, with only Simon Gerrans who was second on the day being awarded the same time as Bole. In 2015, Bole was the victor of the first stage of the inaugural Tour of Croatia after negotiating a series of bends where two crashes occurred.