Groenewegen victorious on first stage

Dylan Groenewegen (Team Jayco–AlUla) won the first stage of the 31st Tour of Slovenia and is the first cyclist on the race to wear the green jersey of the overall leader. Best Slovenians on the race were Tilen Finkšt (Adria Mobil) in 7th, and Žak Eržen (Bahrain Victorious) in 9th.

The opening stage of this year’s Tour of Slovenia connected the coastal region with central Slovenia and, as anticipated, featured a long breakaway. The break formed before the climb to Črni Kal, thanks to Matic Žumer (Adria Mobil) and Jaka Marolt (Factor Racing) it lasted until just 10 kilometers before the finish. Swiss rider Fabio Christen (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) took the most from the breakaway, earning the blue jersey. After that, sprinters' teams took over, and the battle for the green jersey came down to a mass sprint. Dylan Groenewegen proved strongest, claiming his sixth stage victory in Slovenia. After the stage, he said: “Getting towards the last two corners, I was a little bit in between the UAE guys, but we stuck to the plan and did a perfect job. After the last corner, I continued my sprint, and it was enough for the stage victory. We did almost all the work alone, so we deserved the win. It wasn’t my best day on the bike because I’ve been a little bit sick over the last three days, but I’m recovering well, and I think each day is going to be better. There are more stages that suit me well.”

German Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious), who has also previously tasted victory in the Tour of Slovenia, finished second. Both he and Groenewegen are the main favorites for stages two and three, which are not expected to end with such a large group sprint.

Two Slovenian riders made it into today’s top ten. Žak Eržen was ninth, and, to the delight of the organizers, Tilen Finkšt placed two spots higher. After the stage, Tilen commented: “I’m satisfied with seventh place on the first stage. The race was decided in the final kilometers, and the last two corners before the finishing straight were crucial. We had agreed beforehand that we needed to be at the front, and that’s exactly what we did. That helped us save a lot of energy and stay up front until the end. In the finale, I focused on braking as little as possible and navigating the corners well. That was the key to success today.”

As always, Slovenian fans showed up in full force, as did the stage locations. We witnessed many creative ways of cheering, and both Piran and Škofljica shined in their debut as start and finish hosts, respectively.

The second stage, from Velenje to Rogaška Slatina, will be quite varied and is expected to end in a sprint from a smaller group of riders.

Links:
Results
Gallery

Photo: Sportida