Cycling: Majka and Pogacar play rock-paper-scissors to decide the victory of the stage

This is probably the image of the weekend.

Fifteen days before the start of the Grande Boucle, the double title holder Tadej Pogacar and Rafal Majka decided the winner of the penultimate stage of the Tour of Slovenia… At the “shifumi”!

It was obviously the Pole who won the small game against the Slovenian and was therefore able to cross the finish line first, thus granting himself his second victory in the competition after his success during the opening stage.

The two riders from the UAE Team Emirates team nevertheless completed the last meters arm in arm, Pogacar leaving a slight lead of a few centimeters to his teammate.

🤝 Majka winner after a 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗺𝗶 (yes you read that right) with Pogacar 😅

Relive the incredible finish of the 4th stage of the Tour of Slovenia 📺#HomeOfCycling #LesRP pic.twitter.com/prLUUqERH6

– Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) June 18, 2022

Pogacar remains first in the general classification

The day before, the order of arrival in Celje had been reversed, Pogacar having beaten his Polish teammate by 11 seconds.

On the eve of the final stage between Vrhnika and Novo Mesto (155.7 km), Pogacar and Majka occupy the first two places in the general classification in this order (Majka is 3 seconds behind), ahead of the Slovenian Domen Novak, 1 '56”.

“It is extremely encouraging before the Tour de France”, reacted Pogacar, double winner of the Grande Boucle which will start on July 1 from Copenhagen for an arrival on July 24 in Paris.

He added "having savored every meter" of what is considered the queen stage of the Tour of Slovenia, punctuated by several steep climbs before ending at 1,197m above sea level.

Under a large crowd cheering his name, Pogacar had previously crossed his native village of Komenda at full speed.

The young 23-year-old champion has participated four times in the Tour of Slovenia, which he won last year.

Two members of his UAE formation had to forfeit following the positive Covid-19 test of one of them.