Tratnik: If We Didn’t Believe in Roglič’s Victory, We Might as Well Go Home
After the first extended week of the Giro d’Italia, the UAE Emirates-XRG team holds by far the strongest position, with four riders in the top ten. At Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, however, they still believe Primož Roglič can win it.
19 May 2025, 15:38
Urban Sušnik
At the 108th Giro d’Italia, the opening nine stages are done, their guiding principle having been simple — don’t lose time to your rivals. As tradition seems to dictate, Red Bulls’ leader Primož Roglič has had more than his fair share of bad luck. His Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe squad started the race impressively; in the first three stages they rode like a well-oiled machine, keeping their captain out of trouble. With controlled rides at the head of the peloton, they surprised many pundits — especially given how much they struggled in similar situations last year.
Unfortunately, old wounds reopened when the race hit rainy southern Italy. On Stage 6’s treacherous, slick roads, half the team hit the deck — Jai Hindley had to abandon, while Jan Tratnik, Daniel Felipe Martinez, and Giovanni Aleotti continued on in pain.
“I crashed at high speed — we were doing about 70 km/h — and honestly I’m lucky just to still be in the race. But three of us are fairly badly banged up,” Jan Tratnik told us from Italy on the rest day.
Tratnik Got the Worst of It
The experienced rider regrets the time lost in Stage 9 even more than the Stage 6 pile-up — a day featuring gravel sectors from the famed one-day race Strade Bianche.
“Sadly, Primož once again had the worst luck. A crash is one thing, he’d have rejoined Ayuso’s group (editor’s note: Juan Ayuso), but then he punctured too,” said the 35-year-old from Idrija.
All this misfortune inevitably reminded cycling fans of last year’s Tour de France, when Tratnik — then with Visma-Lease a Bike — was in the right place at the right time to hand his bike to Jonas Vingegaard after a mechanical, saving the Dane precious time. Tratnik still remembers it clearly and regrets not being able to do the same for his close friend Primož Roglič.
“Before the stage we had a plan for me to stay with Primož for exactly that kind of situation. But after the crash, both my knees hurt, and it’s worst on short, explosive climbs. Right before the first gravel sector, there were a few of those and I lost some positions. So I hit the gravel too far back, and that’s where the crash really caught up with me — I wasn’t confident descending on the gravel, the bike skids everywhere. I realised I wasn’t willing to push it, and everything started to fall apart. It wasn’t my best day, but I gave it all I had,” Tratnik summarised what so far has been the pivotal day of the race for him and his new team.
He also firmly believes stages like that — where sheer bad luck can ruin a GC contender’s chances — don’t belong in Grand Tours.
“Modern cycling’s stressful enough without this nonsense. Keep it in the one-day races.”
Two Rest Days and Plenty of Therapy
Tratnik’s history with the Giro has been a cursed one in recent years — abandoning in Stage 3 three years ago, injured before the start two years back, and only finishing last year. Yet the Giro still holds good memories too, like his career-defining stage win in 2020.
“The Giro’s one of the most beautiful races. Last year I loved it again, chasing stage wins, came close once too. It made me forget all the bad luck. And this year, apart from the crash, I’ve been enjoying it and I’m looking forward to what’s next,” said the 35-year-old on his sixth Giro appearance.
The race resumes Tuesday with a 28.6 km time trial from Lucca to Pisa. Tratnik rode strongly in the Albania TT earlier in the season, even setting a reference time for Roglič. This time, though, the plan’s different.
“This TT’s nothing like that one — no technical sections. It won’t be about how fast you take a corner, just pure brute power. So for me it’s basically another rest day. I’ll focus on therapy sessions and hope we can ease the pain,” said the Red Bulls’ road captain.
The Eternal Optimist
Tratnik added that Roglič isn’t suffering any lasting effects from his gravel crash. Syuk, as he’s nicknamed, said the former ski jumper remains upbeat — and so does the team.
“We all still believe in Primož’s win. If we didn’t, we might as well pack up and go home. Sure, we’re a bit battered, but we still believe in our strength. That’s cycling — you have to believe. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t. What matters is you leave it all out there,” said the Idrija man, convinced Roglič’s 2:25 gap to leader Isac del Toro isn’t insurmountable.
Syuk’s also looking forward to the stage through Slovenia.
“I know those roads perfectly. It’s always great seeing everyone at home, and it gives you extra motivation — though it makes it hard to leave again because you just want to stay,” he joked.
Finally, he weighed in on their rivals — with UAE Emirates having four riders in the top ten: leader Isac del Toro, second-placed Juan Ayuso, plus Brandon McNulty and Adam Yates in eighth and ninth.
“I can’t really comment on what’s happening in their team, but it’ll be interesting to see how they manage their internal dynamics and adjust tactics. A lot will already depend on this next time trial — how Del Toro handles it,” said Tratnik.
He concluded by saying his focus is firmly on the Giro rn, with no thoughts yet for the Tour de France.
“All my thoughts are here in Italy. After this comes a short break — to rest the head more than the legs and heal the injuries — then it’s time to prep for France,” revealed the Slovenian.
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