Slovenia salvages Vuelta podium as Omrzel makes breakthrough debut

The Vuelta a España, the final Grand Tour cycling race of the season, ended on a bittersweet note for Slovenia.

Top favourite Tadej Pogačar did not complete the race, but Primož Roglič finished second and 20-year-old Jakob Omrzel announced himself as a rider to watch by taking seventh place in the general classification and winning a stage, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

The result offered some consolation for Slovenian fans after Pogačar crashed out on stage eight while leading the race comfortably ahead of Spain's Enric Mas, but his departure opened the door to a much more closely fought race.

Mas, in top form throughout the three-week race, seized the opportunity to claim his first overall Vuelta title, finishing 2 minutes 15 seconds ahead of Roglič.

Roglič makes the most of difficult race

For Roglič, the runner-up finish was significant despite having previously won the Vuelta four times: his preparations had been badly disrupted by a collision with a car at the end of July, due to which he missed both the Tour of Burgos and the Clasica San Sebastian before arriving in Spain.

He nevertheless emerged as Mas's main challenger after Pogačar's withdrawal and remained in contention until the final week, pushing himself to the limit. A strong time trial by Mas in stage 18, followed by two difficult mountain stages, ultimately ended Roglič's hopes of a fifth Vuelta title.

The 35-year-old said his definition of success had evolved as the race progressed.

"Sometimes it means you win, whether by a minute or a second, and sometimes it means you finish the race. I achieved my victory by finishing second overall," he said.

Roglič will now turn his attention to the world championship, where he is expected to be one of Slovenia's main hopes in Pogačar's absence.

Omrzel turns debut into breakthrough

The biggest Slovenian revelation, however, was Omrzel, who turned his first three-week race into a breakthrough performance.

The Bahrain Victorious rider had already climbed into the overall top 10 before winning stage 12 from a breakaway. The victory and the subsequent solid performance helped establish him as one of the race's emerging young talents.

He eventually finished seventh, 10 minutes and 38 seconds behind Mas, and second in the young riders' classification, just over a minute behind Great Britain's Oscar Onley.

"For me these are all big numbers and a big result. I'm extremely proud. It's something I worked for all year, so the feeling is incredible," Omrzel said.

The finish in Granada was the realisation of a childhood dream for the rider from Novo Mesto.

"The feelings when arriving at the finish are incredible. Seeing so many people lining the streets is something I dreamed of experiencing since I was a child," he said.

Omrzel, who immediately invited comparisons with Pogačar, also made clear that he sees the Vuelta as a beginning rather than a destination, his sight now set on the Tour de France.

"This is definitely a race I want to give a try. It is one of the biggest - if not the biggest - races in the world. Who would not want to compete there?"

Photo Instagram/jakob_omrzel