Tour de France: Cycling pub fans traveling during the Tour de France

Cycling moves the masses. One of the best examples of this is the customers of the Black Pearl pub in Wervik, Belgium. The “Pogi Boys”, a very special fan club of tour favorite Tadej Pogačar, was founded there five years ago.

»It all started in 2019. I saw Tadej Pogačar at the Basque Country trip. Back then he was still a nobody, nobody knew him. But the way he moved among the greats of the sport, a Geraint Thomas, a Julian Alaphilippe – that was simply impressive,” says Jeroen Mahieu to “nd”. The Belgian introduces himself as president of the “Pogi Boys”. The bystanders who hold up a banner with Pogačar’s image in both the yellow jersey and the uniform of the UAE team confirm the presidency of the young man, who is already spreading a healthy beer haze at the start of the stage – as one should in one Pub-based club belongs.

Mahieu is proud of his look. »I saw back then that he was something special. And so I decided to found the ‘Pogi Boys,'” he reflects. Whether Grand Tours or classic races, whether the Tour of Slovenia or, soon, the Olympic Games – the “Pogi Boys” accompany their idol to many competitions. »We also have good contact with his parents. It wasn’t until June, shortly before the tour started, that we visited her in his hometown of Komenda. And they showed us the school he went to and the mountain where he trained as a teenager,” says Mahieu, becoming more enthusiastic with every sentence. “We are a big family,” he says. This includes the Belgian and Slovenian branches.

Of course he also has contact with the idol himself. »When I write to him, he always gets back to me. He texts, he calls, he does everything for me. He’s a super guy,” he says of Pogačar. The person who is so admired also likes his fan club. “I’m always happy when I see her,” he said recently at the Giro d’Italia. As is well known, he won it before this tour.

For the “Pogi Boys”, their star’s successes are of course magnificent. »We now have many members worldwide. 150 fans in the immediate vicinity of our pub and several hundred worldwide. We also send our ‘Pogi Boys’ baseball caps. It’s almost become a company now. We recently sent 300 baseball caps over the Internet,” says the President.

For Mahieu it is clear that Pogačar will win the Tour. So he went home for a few days. “If he arrives in Nice in yellow, I’ll buy a plane ticket straight away and come back,” he promised. He was also able to take part in the team’s Giro final party. Photos of the Slovenian adorn the Instagram and Facebook accounts. »The greatest thing would be if he came to live with us in the “Black Pearl” in Wervik. He already promised,” says Mahieu. As long as that doesn’t happen, the Belgian and his followers will follow the Slovenian.

The past two years have also been filled with sadness. »I was sad that he lost the tour twice. But he is a fighter and never gives up. He tries again and again and doesn’t let failure discourage him. I like that about him. He simply knows: Even if you lose on bad days, there will also be good days when you win again,” Mahieu is convinced.

Pogačar has had more and more good days recently. This lifts the mood in the “Black Pearl” and of course on the road. It also allows more people to purchase Pogi Boys memorabilia. Let’s see when the business becomes so big that the Arab team owners get involved here too. We hope that the “Pogi Boys” do not lose their down-to-earth attitude. Remaining humble, even when high, is one of life’s more difficult disciplines.