Tadei Pogachar woke up in Paris on Monday as the 2020 Tour de France winner and also celebrated his 22nd birthday with his girlfriend and parents after toasting with the UAE Team Emirates team at a small pizza restaurant in Paris. In just 48 hours, Pogachal's life changed dramatically.

He pulled off one of the biggest surprises in Tour de France history, beating fellow Slovenian Primoš Roglic after the Jumbo Visma team dominated the race and was assured of victory. The race, which many thought would never even reach Paris, came to an incredible conclusion. The French sports newspaper L'Equipe described Pogachar as "Jeune et Insouciant" (young and carefree) in the opening headline of its Tour de France coverage. This was a reference to the title of the biography of Laurent Fignon, who became the last rider to win the Tour when he debuted in 1983 at only 22 years old.

Pogachar became the 12th rider to win the yellow jersey on his debut and the youngest winner since Henri Cornet in 1904. On Monday afternoon, he headed for his home in Monaco, still in shock.

"The Tour is every young cyclist's dream and I won it yesterday," he posted on Instagram with some of his photos from the final stage in Paris.

"Words cannot express how grateful I am to everyone involved in any way. I got to stand on the top step of the podium on the Champs Elysees with the legend Richie Porte and Primoz Roglic, who has been an inspiration to me and to the world for the last few years. It's truly incredible.

"I still don't know where I am. It's crazy," Pogachal admitted in an exclusive interview with L'Equipe published on Monday.

"Before the time trial I thought I would finish second and I was happy with that result and the best young rider jersey. The night before, I had seen the mechanics in the parking lot preparing a special white bike for my arrival on the Champs Elysees. But the time trial turned my whole life upside down.

"I think the secret to my success was that I started the race not believing for a second that I could win. I didn't even have a power meter.

Pogachar, a talented young rider and considered an outsider in the Tour de France, appeared to have succumbed to the dominance of Roglic and Jumbo Visma. However, his friendly personality hid a burning ambition. He was known as the "Little Prince." Roglic's younger brother and understudy. He seemed destined to win the Tour de France one day, but not in 2020.

Roglič accepted defeat gracefully, and in defeat he revealed his true colors. Pogačar also gracefully and embarrassingly took the yellow jersey from Roglič in the final time trial 24 hours before heading to Paris; the two men conversed and embraced throughout the ride to Paris, and as they crossed the finish line on the Champs-Elysées, Roglič He even sought out Pogachar.

"Primosch was very dignified. He seemed to take defeat well. He was at his best during the Tour and it was a bad day," Pogachar said

.

"I feel sorry for him, but that's sport. Unfortunately, he lost his jersey, and despite being one of the greatest riders of the last three years, I have the jersey.

"When Primos joined Jumbo Visma, I was 17 and idolized him. Since then I have had the opportunity to train with him from time to time and compete against him in races. And now I have beaten him. I beat him in the biggest race in existence. It seems very strange,

"Of course, we will continue to ride together, but it will be very difficult for him to overcome. The Jumbo-Visma team has done everything to win the Tour. But Primoz is a champion and he will pick himself up and start a new challenge.

Pogachar suggested that Roglic and Jumbo-Visma had probably underestimated him, especially after losing 1:21 in the crosswind attack to Lavour on stage 7.

"I think Jumbo-Visma stopped focusing on me when I lost time at Echelon. But everyone was convinced that 57 seconds before the time trial was enough for Primoš Roglic to win."

Pogacar's aggressiveness in the Pyrenees and his refusal to accept defeat helped him overcome the time loss. He dropped back 40 seconds on stage 8 in Roudenvielle and earned a 33-second bonus second in the crucial mountain stage.

He also attacked on the final climb to La Planche des Belles Filles, not by reading power data, but by going with his gut instinct after changing bikes. Pogachar needed to attack constantly to become a bigger and better competitor.

"Up until junior I was much smaller than my opponents. The races were short and intense, so I always had to attack to win. But I almost always failed," he explained.

"I wasn't strong enough in the sprint. It was frustrating, but now I think it made me mentally stronger. I never want to give up. It's helped me a lot and it's helped me develop my mental focus.

"I like those races. For me it's the best way to win."

L'Equipe magazine profiled a group of UAE Team Emirates managers and Direction Sportif who worked with him at the Tour de France, including team manager Mauro Gianetti and Direction Sportif's Joxian Matsin recalls the Saunier Duval doping case involving Ricardo Ricco.

Pogachar was discovered by Andrei Hauptmann, who raced for Vini Cardillola, Tacconi, Lampre, and Fassabortolo between 1999 and 2005. He is currently the national coach of Slovenia as well as the Direction Sportif at UAE Team Emirates.

Asked about his past, Pogachar insisted that his conscience was clear.

"I was 10 years old in 2008, so I am too young to remember that time, and it seems strange to talk about it because it goes against everything I believe in," Pogachar said.

"I know that doping endangers the health of athletes. Despite this climate of suspicion, I think cycling is a sport that does a lot against doping. It saddens me that people might question my performance. My only defense is to have a clear conscience."

Pogachal's life, despite his youth, appears grounded and intelligent, but many predict that it will never be the same again.

He is not expected to compete in any more Grand Tours this season, but is targeting the Classics, including October's Tour de Flanders.

Before getting a taste of Flanders racing in Belgium, he will take part in the world championships in Imola, Italy, this week, and run a road race on Sunday.

A week of celebration may affect his form, but, as with the Tour de France, it cannot be ignored.

"I don't know parkour yet, but they say it's going to be really hard and I like this kind of parkour. I like these courses. It's a long distance and it's going to be a really hard race. I expect the best," he said of his participation in Imola.

"Slovenia has a really strong team, so we'll see what kind of chances we have in this tough race."