Renowned for its basketball players, volleyball players and skiers, Slovenia has in a few years become a land of cycling capable of taking the first two places in the 2020 Tour de France. A long rise in power driven by former professionals who remained in the shadows, and by the state.

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Around 1,600 licensees, including 70 professionals.

With such numbers, there was nothing to suggest that Slovenia would become a land of cycling.

Used to shine in basketball - European champions 2017 - or in volleyball - European vice-champions in 2019 - Slovenia nevertheless trusts the first two places on the podium of this Tour de France 2020, with Primoz Roglic in yellow and Tadej Pogacar in dolphin.

A feat that arouses the enthusiasm of an entire country, but also of the boss of the Slovenian Cycling Federation, Ales Kalan.

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The fruit of a long rise in power ...

"When I was a young runner and I opened the newspapers, I saw Hinault, Fignon, they were our Gods at the time," he confides at the microphone of Europe 1. But "today this are ours who win the Tour and I can't even find the words. "

However, these performances owe nothing to chance: it is the result of a long rise in power since from the beginning of the 2000s the country had good runners in its ranks. 

They weren't champions, but when they retired they became coaches.

And that changed everything, explains Ales Kalan.

"Our young people were able to benefit from their experiences, their strategies, but also their mental preparation, and I think that is the most important. This is what makes champions."

© Théo Maneval / Europe 1

... and state aid

For its part, the Slovenian state has also pushed its hopes, in particular by building a brand new velodrome in the town of Novo Mesto, in the south-east of the country.

This is where the biggest national team trains, the "Adria Mobil", the one that brought Primoz Roglic to life.

And it's on this same track that Adam trains, a promising 17-year-old who gets on a bike every day.

A frenetic pace possible thanks to school timetables specific to the country. 

"In general, we start school at 7 am, and we finish at 1 or 2 pm. So we can then train with the team," explains the young man who dreams of turning pro. 

However, this rise in power is not without a shadow on the board.

It is also considerable: 42% of runners turned pro between 2009 and 2019 were suspended for doping.

A record according to figures compiled by the daily

Le Monde

.

In 2019, Slovenia ranked second among the countries with the most doping cases, just behind ... Colombia.