Earlier than closing yr’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Jan Tratnik was once a dismal horse for victory at best possible given he’d handiest ever completed 94th in his one earlier participation. This time spherical if he breaks away once more at the ultimate stretch in Ninove for some other win, whether or not it is in a duel like closing yr or a solo run for victory, it is going to be anything else however a marvel.
It isn’t simply that the 35-year-old Slovenian can be racing with the #1 on his again subsequent Saturday, making it a lot more difficult for him to fly beneath the radar, however Tratnik could also be infrequently protecting it a secret that his efficiency knowledge ‘numbers’ in racing are even higher than they had been at this level in 2024.
Obviously, he is a person to look at all through Saturday’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
“Ok, Bessèges was a bit of a chaotic race and I couldn’t really test myself there. But already on the stage 2 summit finish here, I saw that I pushed higher numbers than last year.”
“Here in the Algarve, too, I’m coming in with a different approach because we have Primoz Roglič. But we are on the right track, I’m on the right track, the team is on the right track. So I’m happy with these numbers and with my performance.”
Closing yr Tratnik’s effects confirmed excellent consistency within the countdown to Omloop: he claimed 3rd within the Clásica Jaén and he additionally had a 2nd position in his season-opener, the GP Murcia, and a 3rd position general within the Volta ao Algarve to spice up his self belief for Opening Weekend.
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This time he has each the numbers from racing and one thing else arguably similarly vital to stay his motivation prime as Saturday approaches: his Omloop victory from 2024.
Tratnik gained a two-up dash in opposition to new teammate Nils Politt after attacking past due in a tactical staff play that labored completely for Visma-Rent a Motorcycle however ended with Tratnik taking the respect forward of staff chief Wout van Aert.
New to Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe in 2025, Tratnik’s revel in method he is aware of that within the Classics it is unwise to financial institution the entirety on one contender, despite the fact that, and he’d be at liberty if his teammates even have their probability to turn their power.
The Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe line-up for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is anticipated to incorporate fellow staff chief and ever competitive Oier Lazkano, Roger Adrià, Jonas Koch, Jordi Meeus and twins Mick and Tim van Dijke.
Their main competitors come with Van Aert, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep), António Morgado (UAE Workforce Emirates-XRG), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) and Tom Pidcock (Q36.5).
“We have quite a strong team with young guns, and you know how it goes with those races, it’s quite hard to say it’s only going to be with one leader, because so many scenarios can play out. You need to have more bullets in the pocket to play well,” he explains.
“I’m a rider who likes to share leadership with the others too and it’s a race where we want to play more cards. It doesn’t matter which rider is the best. It’s important that we try to win as a team, not as an individual.”
I am just right on each roughly terrain
Jan Tratnik wins the 2024 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (Symbol credit score: Getty Photographs)
Tratnik’s victories through the years have are available in an overly extensive vary of situations, from a breakaway level win within the Giro d’Italia in 2020 to levels within the Excursion de Romandie, the Limburg Vintage in Holland and the whole of the Excursion de Slovakia a couple of years earlier than.
That broad-ranging skill performed its section within the 2024 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the primary cobbled Vintage of the season, the place everyone remains to be undecided of the shape and it is usually very a lot a mirrored image of ways Tratnik loves to race.
“For me, it’s a different race plan every year,” Tratnik issues out.
“Maybe I’ll be doing the cobbles, or two Grand Tours” – like in 2025 – “but each time the cobbled Classics are a little bit less on my programme.”
“Finally, though, it doesn’t matter where I go or what I do: I’m good on every kind of terrain and the team can use me if it’s hilly or the cobbled Classics or whatever.”
Tratnik does have a unique affinity with Belgium despite the fact that, and now not simply as a result of biking. He is keen on automotive rally racing as neatly and closing yr Belgian Thierry Neuville was the newest Global Rally Championship winner and the primary for Belgium within the collection historical past.
As Tratnik recounts with a smile, “I took a rest day and I went hiking to watch the Col de Turini in the WRC rally in Monaco” – which Neuville gained – “so that day the rally was more important than training.”
Hungry to race
Jan Tratnik (Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) (Symbol credit score: Getty Photographs)
Again in his personal extra acquainted terrain of motorbike racing, one key alternate between 2023 and 2024 for Tratnik in his private countdown to Omloop was once that the Belgian Vintage marked his season debut in 2023. Closing yr he raced for seven days earlier than his main victory.
Moderately than any refined masterplan, the alternate of time table was once because of one thing as elemental as being hungry to race
“In 2023 I did training at altitude but this period from October till March is quite long. It’s not that I was bored, but I was missing racing,” he explains.
“It’s nice to start a bit earlier, to get the feel of the peloton and to race a little bit, to get the race kilometres in the legs.
“Finally, I’ll want to do a large number of altitude anyway. So it is higher to coach onerous first at house, take a look at myself within the races and then you definitely nonetheless can do further preparation if you wish to have it.”
So while he repeated his racing countdown to Omloop via the Algarve this year, there’s one big change for 2025 that he couldn’t avoid, he is no longer with Visma-Lease a Bike. He has followed fellow Slovenian Primoz Roglič to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.
Rather than having Wout Van Aert as a teammate, the Belgian is now a rival.
Tratnik combines humour with a very pragmatic approach to that switchover, saying “yeah, the advantage of this is that now if I am at the entrance, I will be able to simply observe him and I can be in a profitable place.”
Whether Tratnik can actually do that, or not, will only become clear on Saturday. After finishing the Volta ao Algarve there are only a couple more pieces in the pre-race puzzle left to put into place.
“I will do the closing 80 kilometres of the race as a recon on Friday, after which it is sufficient. I do know the course already, in the end, however what can in reality alternate from three hundred and sixty five days to the following is the elements. Optimistically it is going to be sunny and there would possibly not be any snow.”
Such questions remain out of his control, of course, but it’s impossible to avoid the sense that at 35, Tratnik actually enjoys the unpredictability of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The variety of the early-season Classic is what keeps him on his toes.
He certainly seems to be keen to keep any scenario for Saturday on the table right now, even a long-distance attack that fellow Slovenian Tadej Pogačar has made his inhouse speciality in recent years.
“It is what occurs within the race that issues essentially the most, as a result of this present day you by no means know what can occur. Perhaps I will cross at the assault 150 kilometres from the road,” he says, finishing the interview with some other smile.
