Young Slovenian cyclist stuns the field on Stage 12: “I can fight with the best”

Jakob Omrzel’s breakthrough at the Vuelta has quickly become one of Slovenian cycling’s biggest stories. The 20-year-old Bahrain Victorious rider won Thursday’s mountain stage, becoming the first cyclist from Novo Mesto to win a WorldTour race and the youngest Slovenian to take a stage on a three-week event.

He then defended sixth place overall in the next mountain stage, finishing alongside Oscar Onley, fourth in last year’s Tour de France. Omrzel trails the Briton by exactly 30 seconds in the fight for the white jersey, a gap the article describes as negligible if one of the contenders has a bad day on the steep Spanish climbs.

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I’m not surprised, because I put in a great deal of work. I knew this day would come. I didn’t expect to win a stage already on my first three-week race. I still can’t believe I managed it.

The rider said he had worked hard and knew such a day would come, although he did not expect a stage win on his first three-week race. He also praised Bahrain Victorious, saying the team had worked perfectly and that he was proud of his teammates.

“I’m on this race for the first time and I didn’t know where my limits were. Every day I have more strength, and I’m finding out that I can fight with the best,” Omrzel told RTV Slovenia. He also handles descents well and is not weak in time trials. The shortened Stage 15 lay ahead, with intense heat forcing organizers to change the route.

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I’m on this race for the first time and I didn’t know where my limits were. Every day I have more strength, and I’m finding out that I can fight with the best. If I continue to feel this way, I’m looking forward to racing.