Tsarenko fastest on Golte, Halland Johannessen is the new leader

Mountain stage from Maribor to Golte shaken up the standings of 31^st Tour of Slovenia, surprise however was the stage victory of Ukrainian Kyrylo Tsarenko (Solution Tech Vini Fantini). Anders Halland Johannessen (Uno-X) is the new leader and will wear green jersey on the last stage. Slovenian Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious) again showed impressive performance, climbing to fourth place overall.

Kyrylo Tsarenko was part of a six-man breakaway that separated from the peloton almost immediately at the start of the stage. Mihael Štajnar (Pogi Team Gusto Ljubljana), also in the breakaway, claimed the mountain points at Volovljek, tying with Swiss rider Fabio Christen (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) in the KOM competition. The breakaway group finally split apart during the climb to Golte, with the Ukrainian persisting to the finish line. The group of favorites failed to find the pace needed to chase down the stage win, and Tsarenko rightly celebrated at the summit.

28 seconds later, Samuele Zoccarato (Team Polti VisitMalta), also from the breakaway, crossed the finish line. Ten seconds after him came Anders Halland Johannessen, who is now the new race leader. Close behind were Felix Großschartner (UAE Team Emirates XRG) and Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek), now the closest challengers to the Norwegian in the general classification. Slovenian Jakob Omrzel, again showing great form, climbed to fourth overall. He commented on the final kilometers of today’s stage: “I knew that others are very strong and that I wouldn't be able to follow them at that moment. But I was feeling good, and in the last three kilometers, I decided to ride at my own pace and even caught up with a few of them. I'm a younger rider, but the gap wasn't big, and I managed to keep them within reach. Now I've moved up two places in the general classification and have a very good position going forward. I was definitely hoping for a bit more, even though it's nice to already be fighting for the white jersey in my first year and to have a chance at something special. But that's how it is in sports — you always want a little bit more.”

Halland Johannessen was also very satisfied with today's race: “We were really looking forward to this stage. We let other teams control the breakaway, it was up to the green jersey to manage it. We know we have a strong team, and we also sent Carl-Frederik Bevort into the break. The rest of the guys were working for Johannes Kulset and me, making sure we were perfectly positioned going into the climb. From there, it was all about communication, and both Johannes and I had great legs today. On the second stage, I managed to get into a small break and gain a few seconds on the others, so today we didn’t need to attack—we just had to follow the wheels. Lidl-Trek launched a few attacks, but we were never under real pressure. It was an incredible feeling to push hard on the steep part at the end—the sensation was unbelievable. I’ve been waiting a long time for this moment.”

Up next is the fifth and final stage, starting in Litija and finishing in Novo Mesto, featuring five categorized climbs. The decisive moment will likely come on Trška Gora. The new race leader is confident of success, but Jakob Omrzel still sees various possible outcomes: “The final stage is very demanding and very short. I think all 120 kilometers will be ridden flat out, and I believe anything can still happen,” said the clearly well-prepared Omrzel after the stage. Stage 5 starts at 10:00 AM, with the race expected to finish around 1:00 PM.

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Photo credits: Sportida.com