Jakob Omrzel's thoughts on 32nd Tour of Slovenia

The stage profiles and route descriptions give a good overview of this year’s race, but there is much more hidden behind the graphs — and only the riders themselves will experience all the details. At the race presentation, Jakob Omrzel, the current Slovenian national champion and fourth overall in last year’s Tour of Slovenia, shared his perspective as a rider.

Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious) is undoubtedly one of Slovenia’s best young cyclists, and if he competes, he will once again play an important role in the battle for the top places. In the 2025 season, he won the white jersey as the best young rider and also competed for top positions in the overall standings. Follow Jakob on Instagram.

Stage 1: Velenje – Rogaška Slatina (June 17, 141.6 km)

The route of the opening stage, starting by Lake Velenje, allows for many breakaway opportunities in the first part, while the final section is technical with many short climbs. Before the finish, the riders will complete two laps around Rogaška Slatina, adding even more excitement to the first day.

Jakob Omrzel: “Stages like this are very unpredictable. I think there’s about a 50–50 chance of a sprint finish or something like last year, with a sprint from a smaller group. This stage adds a huge factor of excitement and unpredictability to the race. Since it’s the first stage, the riders’ legs and minds will still be fresh. At this point in the season we already know each other well, but we’ll still be testing the competition’s form.”

Official destinations: Velenje - Šmarje pri Jelšah - Ponikva - Spodnji vrh pri Stopčah - Štore I Šentjur - Žalec - Prebold - Braslovče - Šoštanj - Rogaška Slatina

Stage details

Stage 2: Radlje ob Dravi – Ormož (June 18, 177.6 km)

The second stage is also called Drava Bike, named after the Drava cycling route that attracts many cyclists. The first part of the stage offers opportunities for breakaways, while the mostly flat middle section leads into the traditional climb to Jeruzalem before the finish. The stage will start in Radlje ob Dravi for the first time in race history and finish in Ormož for the third time. A sprint finish from a larger group is expected.

Jakob Omrzel: “The climb to Janževski vrh is relatively long, but the stage itself is of normal length and includes a long flat section afterward, so I don’t expect more than a breakaway. I’d say there’s more than a 90% chance of a group sprint finish. Nowadays riders know how to fight for position. I think the sprinters will battle for the win — I don’t see the climbs being selective enough to eliminate the sprint specialists.”

Official destinations: Radlje ob Dravi - Podvelka - Lovrenc - Selnica ob Dravi - Ruše - Starše - Hajdina - Duplek - Miklavž na Dravskem polju - Ptuj - Markovci - Gorišnica - Cirkulane - Zavrč - Središče ob Dravi - Ormož

Stage details

Stage 3: Maribor – Celje (June 19, 138.8 km)

Maribor’s Lent district will once again host a stage start, and Stage 3 will be the first serious test for the overall classification, even though it is the shortest stage of this year’s race. Early in the stage there is a categorized climb on Pohorje, but the decisive moment is expected on the demanding climb to Celjska Koča before the finish in front of Celje City Hall. Riders will have a good opportunity for breakaways early on, but the stage victory will most likely be decided by a smaller group.

Jakob Omrzel: “Because of the two climbs, the stage will be unpredictable. It will already be a harder stage for the sprinters, although it’s not impossible that some of them survive with the leaders over Celjska Koča. Modern riders are increasingly capable of racing well on all terrains. Last year a whole group reached Celjska Koča together, but it wasn’t the final climb then, so this year the situation will definitely be different. With ambition and courage, anything can happen — even an attack on the descent. After this stage, we’ll definitely have a clearer picture of the general classification.”

Official destinations: Maribor - Slovenska Bistrica - Zreče - Rogla / Unitour - Laško - Celje

Stage details

Stage 4: Kranj – Kranjska Gora (June 20, 183.1 km)

Kranj is once again an official host city of the Tour of Slovenia, this time for the start of a very demanding mountain stage with more than 4,000 meters of elevation gain. The route will also pass through neighboring Italy via Tarvisio and the Predel Pass, before riders tackle the famous Vršič Pass for the first time in 13 years. The climb will most likely decide the stage, with the finish in Kranjska Gora. This will be a brutal stage favoring the climbers.

Jakob Omrzel: “We’re talking about a real mountain stage, the kind that brings joy to a rider like me. This is the type of stage that motivates me — if I race, I’ll really give everything here, especially because now we’re also talking about the general classification. It’s definitely a harder mountain stage than we’ve had in previous years. The climb to Vršič is beautiful, and I’m really happy we’ll race in these places. Nowadays races aren’t decided only uphill; they’re also decided on the descent, and I think this will be one of those cases — unless one rider reaches the top alone with a big advantage. The descent adds another challenge, and the question is who it suits best. It definitely suits me. At the same time, for the sprinters this will be a survival stage and a fight to avoid the broom wagon.”

Official destinations: Kranj - Škofja Loka - Železniki - Radovljica - Bled - Trbiž - Kranjska Gora

Stage details

5. etapa: Litija - Novo mesto (21. 6. / 162,1 km)

The final stage of this year’s Tour of Slovenia is similar to last year’s finale, but slightly longer. The dynamics of the day will depend heavily on the outcome of Stage 4. After the start in Litija, there will be several opportunities for breakaways because the route is technically demanding and interesting. The finale features the now traditional climb to Trška Gora, which, as always, is expected to shake up the standings before the finish in Novo mesto’s Main Square, where the winner of the 32nd Tour of Slovenia will be crowned.

Jakob Omrzel: “The final stage is longer than last year and has more climbs that I know very well, which suits me. If I race, I’ll be very happy with this stage. If the green jersey rider only tries to defend on this stage, they could lose it. I believe the racing will be full gas and that this stage could still have a major impact on the overall classification, especially because it’s a bit longer and the riders’ legs will already be more fatigued by then.”

Official destinations: Litija - Zagorje ob Savi - Ivančna Gorica - Trebnje-Mokronog - Trebelno - Novo mesto

Stage details