The final part of today’s stage was marked by a heavy downpour which caused several crashes on Ljubljana’s slippery roads.
Mezgec finishes ahead of Ferrari
In the early part of today’s stage, Mezgec made his way to the front of the peloton and then began a rapid dash towards the finish in the final kilometer. When he reached the finish line on Slovenska Cesta, he raised his arms in celebrations. In second place was Roberto Ferrari of Italy, while Mark Renshaw of Australia finished third. With today’s win, Mezgec has also become the overall leader. He put on the green jersey as well as the red jersey, which is worn by the point leader.
“When cyclist began to fall about one kilometer before the finish line, I stepped on my pedals and kept my lead to the very end. The last 450 meters were pretty long. My team performed admirably. I’d like to thank them,” said Mezgec is his first interview with TV Slovenia.
Rok Korošec ninth, Jerman retains the white jersey
Another former mountain biker and Kamnik native finished among the best sprinters of the race. Rok Korošec (Amplatz-BMC) added a ninth place to Thursday’s sixth-place finish. Tadej Pogačar (Rog) was 11th, Jure Golčer (Adria Mobil) finished in 14th place, while Jan Oolance (UAE Emirates) also finished in the top 20 – he was 17th. The white jersey worn by the best young cyclist was retained by Žiga Jerman of Ljubljana’s Rog.
Last breakaway group caught 15 kilometers before the finish line
145 cyclists began today’s race, and several attempted breakaways. At 11:30 a.m., seven of them took part in a successful break. They remained in a group for quite some time, but ultimately, there were only four remaining in the break. They were caught by the peloton 15 kilometers before the finish line, which meant that the final part of today’s stage, which took place in Ljubljana, turned out to be decisive.
Today’s second stage began in front of Ljubljana’s Tivoli Hall. The cyclists then visited Zbilje, Kranj, Šenčur, Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Moste, Vir, Moravče, Litijo, Ivančno Gorico, Grosuplje, Ig, and returned to Ljubljana. Slivna and Bogenšperk were today’s mountain finishes.
An ascent to the top of Rogla follows on Saturday
Scheduled for Saturday is the third – probably decisive – stage between Celje and Rogla. According to predictions, the overall winner of the 24th annual Tour in Slovenia will be known after the final ascent.
The Tour of Slovenia race began yesterday with the Koper-Kočevje stage, where Sam Bennett of Ireland had the fastest sprint.
S. J., A. V.; Translated by J. B.
