Primož Roglič beats Tadej Pogačar to Slovenian national road race title

The Jumbo-Visma rider becomes national champion for the first time in his career
Jonny Long

Primož Roglič beat Tadej Pogačar to become the new Slovenian national road race champion.

The 30-year-old takes the national title for the first time in his career, a heavy favourite pre-race on a course that finished with a steep final climb of 8.3km, its average gradient 7.8 per cent.

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Bahrain-McLaren’s Jan Tratnik was the last remaining member of the breakaway left out front on the climb, with Roglič the first to make the jump over to the sole leader, with Pogačar chasing behind.

 

The UAE Team Emirates rider then caught up, and with Tratnik dropped Roglič and Pogačar were left to battle it out for a title missing from both riders’ palmarès.

Although the pair seemed to be together into the final kilometre, Roglič finished well clear of Pogačar.

Roglič finished ten seconds ahead of his younger compatriot, with Bahrain-McLaren’s Matej Mohorič third, a further half a minute behind, and Janez Brajkovič (Adria Mobil) in fourth.

Defending champion Domen Novak (Bahrain-McLaren) finished fifth, with Jan Polanc (UAE Team Emirates) sixth.

Alé BTC Ljubljana’s Urša Pintar won the women’s road race, with Špela Kern (Lviv) second and Urška Žigart (Alé BTC Ljubljana) third.

More to follow…

Result

Slovenian National Road Race Championships – Elite Men

1. Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma), in 3-30-54
2. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), at 10 seconds
3. Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-McLaren), at 39s
4. Janez Brajkovič (Adria Mobil), at 53s
5. Domen Novak (Bahrain-McLaren), at 1-13
6. Jan Polanc (UAE Team Emirates), at 1-34
7. Nik Čemažar, at 1-39
8. Jan Tratnik (Bahrain-McLaren), at 2-17
9. Matej Mugerli (Continental Team Sport.Land. Niederösterreich), at 2-27
10. Grega Bole (Bahrain-McLaren), at 2-54