CYCLING – TEAM Bahrain Victorious is set to tackle the 31st edition of the Tour of Slovenia with a young and promising line-up, including local talent from the Bahrain Victorious Development Team.
Jakob Omrzel, who will be racing on home soil, as well as Zak Erzen, are the two youngsters. Roman Ermakov, Oliver Stockwell, and Vlad Van Mechelen are the other neo-professional riders heading to Slovenia.
Experience will be provided by the team’s sprinter Phil Bauhaus, and heading up the general classification (GC) will be Rainer Kepplinger.
The five-stage race begins today at the picturesque Slovenian coast in Piran – returning to the race after a long absence – and concludes in Novo Mesto. Over 799km and 12,166m of elevation, the peloton will face a varied parcours featuring flat sprints, technical rolling stages, and decisive mountain finishes.
The opening stage sets off from Tartini Square, passing through Portoroz, Koper, and the Karst region before heading inland to finish in Skofljica, where a sprint finish is likely. However, the undulating terrain and an early mountain climb could encourage a breakaway to form.
Stage two presents a challenging and technical profile with several steep climbs. Riders will tackle numerous bonus and mountain sprints, with constant rhythm changes likely to trigger multiple attacks before the final loop in Rogaska Slatina.
Stage three offers a more tactical scenario. With two significant climbs on the route, it presents a good opportunity for a breakaway to form and possibly hold off the peloton to the finish in Ormoz.
The queen stage, stage four from Maribor to Golte ski resort, features over 3,500m of elevation gain and is expected to shape the GC. The route climbs steadily toward a summit finish, and while early moves are expected, GC contenders will need to show their strength on the final steep ramps if they hope to wear the green leader’s jersey heading into the final day.
Stage five is short but explosive. Starting in Litija, it features the double ascent and the iconic Trska Gora climb before the final showdown in Novo Mesto. With its technical terrain and hard finale, the overall classification could still be decided in the final meters.
Bahrain Victorious sports director Borut Bozic commented on the strategy and expectations. “We are going to the Tour of Slovenia with an extremely young team,” he said. “Phil Bauhaus is our most experienced rider and is in strong form as he builds toward the Tour de France.
“Our aim is to support him in the first three stages, which suit the sprinters. For the two decisive mountain stages, we are putting our confidence in Jakob Omrzel and Rainer Kepplinger.
“Jakob is a young talent we believe can grow into a strong WorldTour rider, and Rainer is coming back after injury. We’ll give them every chance to ride their own race and go for the best result possible.”
Omrzel, racing in his first season at Bahrain Victorious Devo Team, is eager to rise to the occasion in front of his home fans. “I’m going into the race with mixed feelings,” he said. “It’s my first year in a higher category, and I’m aware that anything can happen. I feel well-prepared and competitive, but I’m also trying to stay relaxed and not put too much pressure on myself.
“Racing for Bahrain Victorious gives me an incredible opportunity to show what I can do.”
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