Urška Žigart will depart from her tenure at Liv AlUla Jayco and begin a new chapter of her professional racing career at AG Insurance-Soudal beginning in 2025. The Slovenian national champion in the time trial and road race said she hopes the change will lead to her progress at the highest level of the sport, especially across mountainous terrain.
"What attracted me to join AG Insurance-Soudal was that I only ever heard good things about the team, and when they reached out to me, I was immediately interested in hearing what they had to say. I was quickly drawn to their vision and how they saw me fitting into the team. It was clear that they had a strong idea of how I would fit in both as a rider and as a person," Žigart said.
"Within the team, I feel like I am still learning, even though I have quite a bit of experience in the WorldTour peloton. This year, however, I realized that I’m not the youngest anymore. So, in that sense, I hope to pass on some knowledge to the younger riders while also remaining open to learning from everyone. In terms of racing, I’m quite a versatile rider, but I certainly excel in climbing. That’s where I can offer strong support, and sometimes, I might even try to play a role in the finale."
AG Insurance-Soudal has built a multi-level programme that includes under-19, under-23 and elite teams with a strong development component to its graduating tiers, where Žigart, now 27, aims to work closely with the up-and-coming riders on the team.
Žigart has been racing professionally for the last ten seasons. She explained in a team press release that growing up, around her extracurricular activities in music; and playing piano and guitar, she was active in multiple sports; track and field, volleyball, and running. She said that she gained a love of cycling after riding her mother's stationary bike before later taking up road riding and joining a local team.
She signed her first professional contract with the Continental team BTC City Ljubljana in 2015 where she developed across international racing for the next six seasons until it folded as a WorldTour team in 2020. She then made the move over to BikeExchange, now Liv AlUla Jayco, where she has supported her teammates at the highest level across four seasons.
Although Žigart is a four-time national champion in the time trial, she still aims to improve in this discipline on the WorldTour. She hopes to progress in the mountainous terrain, whether that's one-day racing or stage racing, and work alongside Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio in the coming season. This year, she finished 12th overall at the Giro d'Italia, ninth at the Tour de Suisse, fourth at the recent Giro dell'Emilia and won the time trial and road race titles at the Slovenian Championships.
"My personal goals for the 2025 season are to continue improving in every aspect, just as I have in the past few years, and to keep this upward trajectory. I’ve shown that I can be close to the best in hard climbing races, so I really want to explore that and see how far I can go when the opportunity arises," Žigart said.
"Based on the conversations I’ve had, I think I can grow here in every way. I especially want to improve on hilly terrains and continue working on my time trial skills. In the team, I can’t overlook the experience of Ashleigh [Moolman-Pasio] in riding GC in big stage races. I hope to learn from her as well and lend a helping hand (or leg) whenever I can.
"It’s been four years since my last team change, and I have to admit, I’ve grown very comfortable at Greenedge, and I really felt at home there. It was hard to think about changing because change brings new people, new relationships, new equipment, and new challenges. But change can also bring growth, and from everything I’ve heard about the team, I feel calm, confident, and ready to meet everyone soon."
