Belgian classics are in full swing! We witnessed some amazing racing today at Dwars door Vlaanderen. As usual, the peloton split into several small groups. In the end, Matthieu Van Der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) was the fastest as he successfully beat other classics specialists that were in his group such as Benoot, Pidcock, Campenaerts, Politt, and Kung. Tratnik crossed the finish line 9th, 2 minutes and 8 seconds behind the winner. He outsprinted Pogačar (UAT Team Emirates) and Madouas (Grupama – FDJ).
»These races are new for me. I already raced some of them in 2019, but I lack more experience. I made a lot of mistakes today and spent too much energy in the first part of the race because I don’t know the roads. Too many times I was at the end of the peloton, which is not a good position to be in at classics. When the key attack happened, I was way too behind to react to it. What was left for me was to try to catch the breakaway but that was almost mission impossible. Luckily, Tadej was with me and we worked well together. Ninth place is a nice result for me, the whole race was a great experience and I can’t wait for Sunday.«
It was the longest day in the office for riders today as they rode from Milano to San Remo. The fastest got there after six hours and a half. As it was expected, the race began with a breakaway, which was caught in the final stage of the race. The tempo was extremely high in the last 20 km and only a small group of riders remained including the Slovenians: Jan Tratnik, Matej Mohorič (both Bahrain-Victorious), Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), and Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma). Mohorič attacked on the descent from Poggio and managed to keep the small advantage as he crossed the finish line. It was a great day for Bahrain-Victorious. Tratnik also performed extremely well, and he finished 9th.
“This day couldn’t be better. Matej won, I was 9th and Caruso finished 15th. We weren’t really sure how things will unfold for us because Matej was injured after Tirreno. My job was to survive Cipressa and help others on Poggio. Everything went great, with no problems during the race. The tempo on Cipressa was really high and only 25 riders remained. I realized I’m in very good shape and I helped Matej so he could start Poggio in the first position. Meanwhile, I tried to stay with the best riders as long as possible. Maybe I would make a better result if a rider didn’t crash 3km before the finish line and we had to close the gap. One kilometer to the finish I was empty, but it was an amazing day for our team. I’m very happy and proud. This is probably one of the best results for me on one-day races.”
Another beautiful Italian race came to an end. Tirreno-Adriatico started with an individual time trial and finished with a sprint stage, which was won by Tratnik’s teammate Phil Bauhaus. Tadej Pogačar (Team UAE Emirates) won the general classification, followed by Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Mikel Landa (Bahrain-Victorious). Jan Tratnik once again did an outstanding job as a domestique and thus contributed to his team’s success.
“Tirreno Adriatico didn’t start as we expected. We already lost time in the opening ITT and the sprint stages didn’t go well for us. However, yesterday was a breakthrough and things started to shift. Landa came third in the general classification, and today we won the stage with Phil and the best team classification. It once again showed that a bad beginning makes a good ending.
I’m very happy with my performance and job done in the race. I always did what needed to be done. Maybe I’m a little disappointed with my performance on the ITT, but overall, it was a great race. I was a domestique for sprint and mountain stages, which I think indicates my good condition. I will take a few days off to recover and then I’m looking forward to racing Milan – San Remo next weekend.”
The peloton gathered in beautiful Tuscany to race the legendary Strade Bianche this weekend. The race, which is known for gravel sections, short and steep climbs, is difficult by itself, however, windy weather was also a key player in the game this time. There was a nasty crash, and a lot of riders were involved. Matej Mohorič (Team Bahrain Victorious) had to abandon the race due to injuries. A little less than 50 km to the finish, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) attacked and won the race. Jan Tratnik once again selflessly sacrificed himself for the team.
“For me, Strade Bianche is the most beautiful race in the season, and I want to race it each year. I already did it three times and thus gathered some experience, which gave me the confidence for this year to try to get a top result. The race unfolded in line with our predictions until there was a nasty crash and Matej had to abandon the race. The team tactics were reorganized towards Bilbao and me. My job was mainly to be there in the final to cover potential attacks. Pellio and I started the most difficult gravel section in front, but Bilbao got a puncture, which ruined our plan. I gave him my bike and then I had to wait for the team car, which was far behind. In this position, I couldn’t fight for the top result anymore. Nevertheless, I’m happy for Bilbao, who finished 5th, despite all the bad luck we had as a team. I’m a little disappointed because I felt great and also didn’t do any mistakes. Tomorrow is a new day and most importantly, I’m in good shape. I will race Tirreno-Adriatico instead of Matej.”
Jan Tratnik started his racing season at a stage race Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. Together with a few other riders he spent the day in a breakaway and went solo in the last kilometers on a very steep summit finish. Unfortunately, he was caught at the start of the gravel section near the top. Nevertheless, he showed an outstanding performance at the queen stage of the race. Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) claimed victory and moved into the overall lead.
»It wasn’t my plan to go in a breakaway, but after 50 km of attacks I saw that many teams want to be part of a breakaway, so we needed to be careful and not miss a big group that would ride away. Eventually, a group of 10 riders went and I joined them because I thought it would be better if we, as a team, are represented in front.
I felt good all day and we collaborated with guys on the front pretty well. Unfortunately, the peloton didn’t give us a lot of advantage, so I decided to attack on the last climb and give it all. I was then all alone and just fighting with myself. I already knew the climb, so I also knew that last kilometer is very steep. Unfortunately, when the steep section began, I simply didn’t have energy left in my legs to fight for victory. I’m still happy with my performance at this time of the year and I’m looking forward to next stages and races.”
The 100th anniversary World Championship took place this weekend in Belgium. It was marked by an extraordinary atmosphere, which you can only experience in Belgium, they say. Elite men, ITT was won by Filippo Ganna (Italy), while the Slovenians – Tadej Pogačar and Jan Tratnik took 10th and 15th place, respectively. The time trial was mostly flat and relatively long, 43.4 km). The spectacular road race from Antwerp to Leuven (a total of 268.3 km) was designed as a Belgium classic and was won by Julian Alaphilippe (France). The best Slovenian was Matej Mohorič, who took 14th place.
“World Championship was my last race of this season. I rode a really good ITT, especially considering my characteristics. I’m still haunted by those 10 seconds that made me miss the top 10. Nevertheless, it also gives me extra motivation to work even harder for the upcoming time trials.
As for the road race, I can say it was total chaos. Our team raced excellently, but the route was so difficult that you simply shouldn’t make any mistakes. You had to ride in front all the time because of all the crashes, corners, accelerations, and narrow roads. If you stayed behind, you spent way more energy than the guys in front. It was necessary to race smart. I’m happy with how I raced. You could see that no team wanted to control the race, and that is why attacks started already 180 km to the finish. There was a very strong breakaway, including me and Primož. Unfortunately, the Italians missed it and then chased us down. I’m still wondering how it would be if some of them were there with us. I was still very active in the race after they caught us. I tried to control the race and help Matej save as much energy as possible for the finals.
Then I was again part of a small breakaway, but I spent all my energy there. I’m still very happy with how I raced, how we raced as a team and the atmosphere. We really get along with the guys. Matej was 14th at the end, which is a nice result, but we all probably hoped for more. However, sport is not PlayStation. All guys at the start are really strong, and small things at the end make the difference. We should be all happy and proud because each one of us gave his all, and that’s the most important. We will keep fighting, and I believe, one day, we will get this medal.
The season is over now, and I will take a month-long break. I will go on the bike, MTB but no pressure – I will listen to myself and my motivation to ride. Also, I hope I will be able to go on holidays somewhere to completely relax and come back fresh and ready to start training for next season.”
Photo: Personal archive, Jonathan Rich, Bettini Photos
La Vuleta, which started in Burgos, now finished in Santiago de Compostela after three weeks of racing was won by Primož Roglič (Team Jumbo-Visma), followed by Enric Mas (Movistar Team) and Jack Haig (Team Bahrain-Victorious). Team Bahrain-Victorious was very successful as they also won the young rider classification by Gino Mäder and best team classification. They beat Team Jumbo-Visma for more than 7 minutes. Tratnik’s best result is third place in the prologue in Burgos. His role was to help his team leaders and he did that with excellence.
“This Vuelta was one of the hardest grand tours I ever did, especially because of the way we raced, the intensity, the heat, and long transfers between stages. Last week was super difficult because we had lots of mountain stages and the tempo was really high. However, it was great to see spectators, who came to cheer for us even in this Covid period.
We made some progress in the last week as a team because Jack then finished third in the general classification and Gino won the best young rider jersey. My role was to help both team leaders. It was a critical moment in stage 20 when Jack got a puncture and I had to drove him back to the peloton. If we failed to do that, the final general classification could be different. It was a moment in which you can see the great importance of teamwork. I also gave it all in the last ITT but I could feel the fatigue from all three weeks and the legs didn’t feel as strong as they should.
I will take a few days off now. After that, I still have the World Championship Road race at the end of September before the off-season starts.”
The last grand tour of the season takes place in Spain this year from August 14 till September 5. We are talking about La Vuelta. Primož Roglič (Team Jumbo Visma) is leading the race after the first rest day. Damiano Caruso (Team Bahrain Victorious) won the ninth stage. This is Jan’s first Vuelta and he described it as:
“First “week” of racing was though. I started great, taking third place on the prologue. I really wanted to seize my opportunity, but two guys were stronger. Anyway, I gave it all that day, and it was my maximum.
I knew what I had to do the following days – help my team leaders. Only me and Arashiro are here to take care of the guys in flat sections of the stages. We have a lot of responsibility and already had a lot of work to do in the first week. Each stage is very stressful because basically, each day is a chance of echelons. However, the wind is never strong enough to break the peloton. That’s what makes racing really difficult. Each team has the same agenda. As if this is not enough, there is extreme heat. I usually don’t have problems with heat but racing nine consecutive days at 40 degrees Celsius does some damage to the body. We have to make sure the riders have fresh bottles ready all the time because the liquid heats up after 15 minutes.
Up until now, everything is going as planned. Caruso won yesterday, and Haig is in fourth place in the general classification. Regarding my performance, I think I’m not in my best shape compared to previous races, but I also think that is quite normal. I kept a high level of performance throughout the whole season. We can start the second week relaxed and ready to take some new opportunities.”
Tadej Pogačar (UAE-Team Emirates) came third to the finish line after 234 kilometers of racing on the Olympic Road race. Jan Tratnik contributed a lot to this bronze medal as he was pulling the peloton for more than 100 kilometers and helped the team’s leaders save their energy for the finale.
“I’m very happy to be part of this bronze medal. I felt great during the whole race, and it was an honor to work for two leaders such as Primož and Tadej. I know I can’t win on such a hilly route, but if there is a chance for me to contribute to the team’s success, I will give it my all. I’m also very happy that we got what we came for. Of course, it would be better if we won, but since other teams were racing against us, we got the maximum out of it. I’m proud to be part of this story, especially because it was my first Olympics.
Photo: Slovenia Olympic Team
Photo: Slovenia Olympic Team
Photo: Reuters
Our trip to Tokyo was long and exhausting. We didn’t have much time to adapt to the new environment and time zone. Also, it’s very hot here, and the humidity is extreme. It wasn’t easy, and I had some problems on training for the first two days, but then I started to feel better.
Too bad we can’t experience the Olympics as we should in non-Covid times. To make It easier, logistics-wise, cyclists slept separately, not in the Olympic village. We also didn’t participate in the opening ceremony. At least spectators were allowed to cheer for us by the road and in the finish zone. We are coming back to Slovenia on Monday, so we don’t have the option to go around and enjoy ourselves as tourists for a couple of days.
When I come home, I will take a day or two easier, but then I have to continue with preparation for La Vuelta, which starts on August 14.”
Jan took a few days off after the first part of the season, but not for long. He is already on an altitude training camp with the team, preparing for the second part of the season. The main goals will be the Olympics and La Vuelta.
“I took some time for myself after the Nationals. I only rode my bike to wake my body up a little bit, no longer than one hour. I spend most of the time at home, with my girlfriend and friends. It was a short but sweet break.
Now I’m at an altitude training camp in Livigno. After a week of holidays, I feel recharged and motivated for the second part of the season. This altitude training camp is an important part of the preparation to get me in my best shape. I started with easier and shorter training just to get used to the altitude. In the next week, I will start with more intense and longer trainings.
The first goal of the second part of the season is the Olympic Games in Tokyo. I’m very happy and proud to be a part of the Slovenian national team. I’m sure it will be an exciting experience, also because it will be the first Olympics in my career. I want to thank the sports director Hauptman for giving me this opportunity. I will do my best to come to Tokyo in the best shape possible. I still have some training to do, but there is enough time.
After Tokyo, I will focus on Vuelta and World Championship. I will probably race on some other races in between, but that is something we still have to decide with the team.”
