Exeter lawyer beats Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar in Slovenia challenge

A former University of Exeter student has recorded one of the most notable results of his amateur cycling career after finishing ahead of Tour de France winner, Tadej Pogačar, in a major public hill climb event.

Andrew Feather, aged 41, who studied law at Exeter and lived in the city for a decade, was the only competitor Pogačar failed to catch during the 15km Pogi Challenge climb held in Slovenia in October. The event attracted 1,189 riders.

Mr. Feather, who works full-time as a lawyer and has two young children, is a four-time National Hill Climb champion. 

This season he began working with sports physiology researchers at the University of Exeter to assess his training and physical performance.

READ NEXT: Exeter's push for Net Zero continues as Devon emissions drop

Andrew said the testing identified adjustments to his warm-up routine and nutrition. “It’s about fine margins,” he said. 

“I’ve been putting their advice into practice and can feel I’m at optimum performance.”

His work with the university was coordinated by PhD researcher Rebekah Osborne, whose background in middle-distance running research was applied to uphill cycling due to the similar physiological demands. 

Andrew also completed sessions with the wider sports science team.

Dr Tim Podlogar, cycling physiologist and co-lead of the Sports Physiology and Endurance Testing service, said the approach aims to make limited training time more effective for non-professional athletes. 

“Testing uncovers what limits performance and provides insight on what to target in training,” he said. “Fuelling strategies are also a key part of performance and differ depending on the duration of the climb.”

Mr Feather continued to compete during the hill climb season while managing work and family commitments. 

He recorded some of his strongest power numbers to date this year and achieved a bronze medal in the British National Championships.

The university said its sports physiology testing service is available to athletes at a range of levels.