According to Pogi Team, today, at the headquarters of Dinit in Izola, it also had its official presentation. Pika Team by Mastercard. It is a girls' women's cycling team that will operate under the auspices of KD Rog and will be focused primarily on the work and development of young cyclists. Pika Team was born following the example of Pogi Team, which was founded by the most successful Slovenian and world cyclist Tadej Pogačar.

He also impressed his partner and the most successful Slovenian cyclist with his project. Ursko Zigart, which decided to offer an opportunity to young, promising Slovenian cyclists. The team, which consists of 30 cyclists, includes girls of various age groups, from girls to older juniors and members up to 23 years of age. The aim of the Pika Team project is to provide promising cyclists with conditions for work and competition at the highest level and to encourage women's competitive cycling in Slovenia. On this occasion, Pika Team's partners also presented themselves in Izola, where the team is currently preparing for the start of the season. In addition to the main sponsors, Dinit and Mastercard, the bike outfitter Factor bikes. Zavarovalnica Generali has also been providing generous support to the KD ROG youth selections for more than 20 years, as well as Plume and the Ljubljana City Council. The press conference was also attended by KD ROG President Andrej Hauptman, who expressed his hope that the establishment of Pika Team would give new life to Slovenian women's cycling.

ANDREJ HAUPTMAN, president of KD Rog

It is a youth women's team led by the best Slovenian cyclist Urška Žigart, who, like Tadej Pogačar, started her first serious cycling kilometers in KD Rog. Like Pogi Team, Pika Team is also focused on supporting young cyclists who are preparing for the highest level of professional cycling with professional guidance, top-notch training and team spirit. The team combines passion for sports and perseverance, encourages team spirit and cares for future generations of top cyclists. At KD Rog, we will strive to provide the girls with the best possible conditions for success at the highest level.

Urška Žigart, project leader Pika Team had club commitments today, as her team, AG Insurance – Soudal Team, also officially presented itself to the public today. Therefore, she explained her decision to establish Pika Team in a special video message.

URŠKA ŽIGART, founder of PikaTeam

I started the Pika Team project because I wanted to give back to Slovenian cycling a part of what it gave me in the past. When I became a member of KD Rog in 2015, it changed my life. Today I know what young girls need for development, and at Pika Team we will try to provide them with these conditions. We will try to provide them with appropriate professional support, equipment, nutritional advice and everything else that is part of the training and competition process. Women's cycling in Slovenia lags behind men's, but we will try to reduce this gap. The coaching team and other professional help will be shared by both teams, and at the same time they will also participate in the training process. We invite all girls, young talents who want to try their hand at this garage sport, to Pika Team. We look forward to working with you.

Coaches Martin Krašek and Lara Maretič took on the task of working with young cyclists.

MARTIN KRAŠEK, coach of Pika Team

Pika Team brings together cyclists from the youngest categories, girls, to older members, U23. 11 girls are participating in the first preparations here in Izola. Most of them are younger and older juniors, to whom we have added 3 more girls this time. Unfortunately, we had some illnesses in the team, so the rest of them are not in Izola these days. We also did not invite girls to this meeting who do not yet have enough experience for safe training in traffic. The Pika Team members carried out their winter preparations last week. Otherwise, we are already preparing for the first tests of the season, which we will start with races in Umag and Poreč on March 5th and 9th, while the girls will compete for the first time on home soil at the 1st Piran Grand Prix on March 22nd, organized by KD Rog.

Pija Galof is among those girls from whom the team expects the most.

PIJA GALOF – member of U23

For me, being a member of Pika Team means a new opportunity after two difficult years and some fresh energy that will help me show what I am capable of. I also think that for all the girls it represents a better environment and an opportunity to grow in this sport. The highlight of the season will definitely be the two UCI stage races in the Czech Republic and of course the European Championships, if it turns out that I am ready for it..

Representatives of the sponsors also expressed their satisfaction at the team's presentation, as their involvement in the project paved the way for higher levels of women's cycling in Slovenia.

LUKA GABROVŠEK. Country Manager Mastercard Slovenia

At Mastercard, we recognize that sports are one of the core passions of an individual, and play an important role in creating a more inclusive and encouraging environment for young female athletes. We believe that investing in them is one of the most important investments for the future, so we are happy to be part of a new success story in Slovenian cycling.

PRIMOŽ PATRU, President of the Board of Directors of Dinit doo        

We are a technology company that mainly operates in the world of digital payments, but we encourage a healthy and quality lifestyle for our employees. In the Pika Team project, we have recognized values that are close to us. Cycling is a sport that requires discipline and hard work, perfection and courage. Without this, you cannot succeed in either sports or business. Cycling is a sport that also emphasizes the values of sustainable development in the most beautiful way, to which we are committed. Our sponsorship of Pika Team and our desire to help develop women's cycling in Slovenia addresses the value of equal social inclusion, as girls still have a harder path in sports than boys.

Pika Team slogan-a is: Bend after bend closer to your dreams and from today on, dreams are allowed.