10 Jun 2024

At Pogačar’s home (without Tadej) Team Polti Kometa aims to continue a virtuous tradition

Tour of Slovenia (2.PRO)

12th - 16th June

Team Polti Kometa is heading… to Pogačar’s house. The dominator of the Giro d’Italia won’t be at the Tour of Slovenia; instead, the lineup led by Stefano Zanatta and Jesús Hernández will be present: sprinter Giovanni Lonardi and climbers Davide Piganzoli and Paul Double, along with Mattia Bais, Andrea Garosio, Germán Gómez, and Alex Martín, who comes fresh from the polka dot jersey at the Boucles de la Mayenne. The startlist includes 7 WorldTeams teams, several ProTeams and a few Continental ones: a race with just the right level of competitiveness that makes it challenging and demanding but not unreachable, with the possibility of being among the protagonists. This is evidenced by the final top-10 finishes achieved by Ivan Basso’s and the Contador brothers’ squad in the two previous participations.

There will be five stages with over 12,000 meters of cumulative elevation gain. It starts the day after tomorrow in the deep east, for the first of two days that could end in a sprint, provided that the sprinters can withstand some difficulties scattered along the routes towards Ormož and Rogaška Slatina, small towns near the Croatian border. The race will move to the opposite side of the Slavic nation in the third raceday, which from the capital Ljubljana heads towards the Italian border and Nova Gorica, where the two Ravnica climbs offer a chance to the boldest attackers. The queen stage is the fourth on Saturday, in the heart of the country. From the picturesque marshy area of Škofljica, in fact, the route will go upwards in every sense: planimetrically because it will head north, and altimetrically because, after the hilly appetizers of Golo, Topol and Čepulje, the finish will be uphill at 1581 m.a.s.l. in Krvavec, at the end of an ascent of almost twelve kilometers at 8%. Finally the Sunday conclusion could provide an opportunity for a winning breakaway, with the leg-breaking wall of Trška Gora ten kilometers from the epilogue in Novo Mesto.

This is the pre-race analysis from sports director Hernández: “We go to Slovenia ready to start strong with Lonardi (following his podium sprints in the Giro and ZLM Tour) and then aim for the GC with a fit Piganzoli (13th in the Corsa Rosa) and a well-rested Double (on the Turkey final podium at the end of April) without neglecting some good breakaways with the other four excellent cyclists. In general it’s going to be the usual Polti Kometa, active and meticulous.”

Among the other four excellent cyclists is Gómez, who returns to racing after almost two months (his last appearance was at the Giro della Romagna): “We have well-rounded riders in terms of condition, experience, characteristics” says the young Colombian, “and I’m excited because I feel we can do very well and also because this marks the beginning of my second block of this neo-pro season. During the period away from competition, I have prepared properly and I can’t wait to prove it!”