When Jan joined Team Jumbo-Visma he had to decide which number would represent him in the team. You may notice it printed on his cycling jersey, which makes his jersey a unique one.
Jan chose Number Four.
At the time when he made the decision, he wasn’t aware of the underlying meaning of it. We did our homework. Four is the number of support, balance, and dedication.
Jan is an outstanding domestique, which means his main role in races is to support the team leaders. By leading and guarding them through the chaos of cycling racing.
His cycling journey was a roller coaster. He has experienced it all, the good and the bad. From being a very prospective young rider, signing a World Tour contract after only three years of being in the sport, to complete rock bottom, having to deal with an eating disorder. Joggling from one extreme to the other has taught him how to establish balance in his life, on and off the bike.
Those who know him well can tell he is also one of the most dedicated riders in the peloton. He will give it his absolute best and all for the leader, for the team, for the sport.
Number Four is the number of support, balance, and dedication. This collection is a tribute to him, to Jan Tratnik. Wear it with pride and let it remind you of the values behind the Number Four.
The idea for JT first came to our mind some two or three years ago but it only got more serious last year, when we created Grande Syuk t-shirts for a very special occasion of a »Slovenian« stage at Giro d’Italia. T-Shirts were very well received among cycling fans from Jan’s hometown Idrija and that’s why we decided to continue with this project – just on a slightly larger scale. We launched an online shop, in which you can get all the fan equipment and some casual shirts.
If you’ve ever been on a cycling race, especially on any of the Classics, Monuments, or Grand Tours, you know the atmosphere is electrifying. There are lots of people, riders’ family members, friends, cycling and sports fans. Also, there will always be some people who happen to be there by coincidence and don’t really understand what is happening around them but still decide to join in on the atmosphere of a cycling race. Everybody enthusiastically waited there, usually for the whole day, just for those few seconds when riders pass us by. We’ve done that lots of times and can’t wait to go to races again. It’s really addictive. We soon realized, particularly on Worlds or Olympics that people usually dress up and equip themselves in the colors of the nation they are cheering for. We did that too. The least you can do is wave with a national flag. Logically, we then decided to equip ourselves for other races as well. If we are Jan’s friends and fans, why wouldn’t we show our support for him in such a way that everyone would understand why we are there? Shortly, that’s how we ended up creating a clothing line available in the online shop. We are happy to work with local entrepreneurs and thus support the local community.
You can choose among different fan or casual t-shirts and hats. By the way, hats are a must-have! Quite easily you can find yourself in a situation spending the whole day out in the sun waiting for riders to pass by. Well, in the evening your skin will remind you of your wrongdoing. However, the sun is not always shining on race days and that’s why we will soon add another product for colder days in our shop 😉
The best way to stay connected and on track with new products, sales, blogs, and race reports is to subscribe to our newsletter down below and/or follow Jan on social media (FB, Instagram, Twitter).
Last but not least, we would like to thank each and every one who already supported us by buying your piece of JT collection. It means a lot. We can’t wait to meet you wearing your JT piece(s) on races!
Till next time…
JT Team
PS: If you have any questions, comments, or thoughts you’d like to share with us, you are more than welcome to write us at info@jan-tratnik.com and we will get back to you ASAP.
After the holiday season, it was time to gather back the team and continue with preparations for the upcoming season.
»Second training camp is slowly coming to an end. First races are just around the corner, which means our training intensity increased quite a lot. It is not yet 100% confirmed but seems like I will start my season at a stage race Classica Comunitat Valenciana 1969 – Gran Premi Valencia here in Spain in the beginning of February. Otherwise, I will travel to Tenerife for two-week altitude training camp.
Training camp is going great. My performance has increased since December and I think I’m quite near my race condition. I still have a few intense trainings to do and then rest well. After that I will be able to check the box over the preparations in wintertime. Most importantly, we stay healthy and safe because the current Covid situation is quite difficult, and I really hope I will avoid all the viruses.”
PS: Thanks to all who are supporting us by buying products in the JT Shop. I hear black JT shirts are a real hit and they will be back in stock soon (even in bigger sizes). We are also working on new goodies, so subscribe below and be the first to know about it 🙂
Before his first race of the season this coming weekend at Strade Bianche, we asked Jan to share with us a couple thoughts!
“I worked hard in February. My trainings ranged from short, highly intensive to long, and more endurance trainings. We planned to would start the season in Belgium, racing Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne – Bruxelles – Kuurne but we had to make some small adjustments to my race calendar due to a crash on a training. I crashed because there was oil on the road and I hit the ground pretty hard. I suffered a slight concussion and some bruises, of course. That is why we decided I should rest and postpone my start of the season.”
“After a few days my condition normalised, and I could do some final trainings before the races. I will start racing in Italy, first at Strade Bianche and then Tirreno Adriatico is on the schedule. I’m happy with my condition, but it’s difficult to say how good I am because I don’t know how good others are. It is always tricky to know where you are with your performance at the beginning of the season. Anyway, I feel good and I think I can race well.“
“Like each year, I also set some goals for this season. According to my current race program, I would like to race well at these first races and repeat the good results at the Tour of Romandie, Giro d’Italia and Tour of Slovenia. I would also like to make my Olympic and Vuelta debut. I target a stage win at La Vuelta. The bottom line and the most importantly is to stay safe and sound throughout the whole season.“
Some cyclists have already begun with the new season, while others, Jan included, will do so soon. However, he is quite busy these days working on some final preseason testing. Preseason testing sessions are very important, as they lay a firm foundation for the whole season, as well as give a very good insight into how well a rider is prepared for the upcoming challenges on the roads around the world.
Jan did a stress test at the Sports Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia to check his current physical condition. He also tested the new materials at the Velodrome Novo mesto and did a 3D scan of the handlebar. Riders are the ones winning races, so their good conditioning is paramount, but at the very top of the world cycling the difference can be so small that they sometimes (especially in time-trial stages) can also fall down to equipment. Better materials, more aerodynamic position (and again materials) can play an important role and testing at velodrome helped Jan and the team gather some very useful information for the season.
»I would like to thank my team, which enabled me to do preseason testings. I’m sure it will help me in the upcoming season to be even faster. The weather in February in Slovenia is not the best for training, but I managed to do some quality training. My performance is good, but I know I can be better, so there is still some work to do.«
Welcome to the new and improved official website of Jan Tratnik, professional cyclist and team member of a WorldTour squad Bahrain Victorious. This website will serve as a go-to place for Jan’s supporters, where you will gain exclusive access to his racing life.
The aim of this website is to bring together all cycling enthusiast and offer an honest insight into everyday life and career of Jan Tratnik. We wanted to give you an opportunity to get to know Jan better, so we tried to make this website as personal as possible and tried to avoid creating a technocratic and robotic website.
Hopefully you will find something to your enjoyment. If you want to learn more about Jan’s career from the beginning to the present “Story” section is a place to go. We’ve also connected Jan’s personal Instagram profile so you can have a shuffle through some photo memories on our “Gallery” page. Yet, despite trying to avoid statistics, we’ve also prepared for you a selection of Jan’s greatest cycling accomplishments on our “Results” page.
If you have any suggestions or if you just want to leave us a message here!
Team Bahrain-McLaren announced contract extensions with several riders, including Jan Tratnik. The media statement published on the TBM website says emphasizes Jan’s versatility and quality that has been proven time-and-time-again since joining the team back in 2019. Successful collaboration has been crowned with Stage 16 victory at Giro d’Italia 2020.
»I’m very happy to extend my contract with Team Bahrain-McLaren for the next two years, considering the current situation with Covid-19 and shortened season 2020. I think I learned a lot in the past two years and that I can continue to grow with the support of the team. I’m really excited and can’t wait for new season to start.«
Jan Tratnik
»Despite 2020 being such an unsettling year these guys have remained 100% focused, so it’s great to have them part of our journey next year. And as we close out this year, I feel there is a real sense of camaraderie in the team, and I think we’ll see that play out even more on the road next year. We will always be a rider first team, so the guys who are giving it everything on the bike are supported by staff equally committed to achieving success.«
Rod Ellingworth, Team Principal at Team Bahrain McLaren
You can read more in the official press release by Team Bahrain McLaren here!
