Slovenians have claimed a fifth of all 2018 WorldTour stage races
Mohoric and Roglic flying Slovenia's flag at the top level
Bahrain-Merida’s Matej Mohoric wrapped his first career overall stage race victory on Sunday, claiming the Binck Bank Tour in Europe’s Low Countries to underscore an unprecedented year for riders from Slovenia in the WorldTour. Mohoric adds his GC win to those of compatriot Primoz Roglic, who took the Tour of the Basque Country and Tour de Romandie titles this year. The three races represent almost 22% of all 2018 WorldTour stages races contested so far.
People not from Slovenia and Slovakia often confuse the two European countries. Often the two nations’ embassies around the world take time to exchange mail that has been mislabeled. Slovenia used to be part of Yugoslavia. To the north, Slovakia, where Peter Sagan is from, used to be part of Czechoslovakia.
Their flags look quite similar.
Flags that look alike
?? Slovenia
?? Russia
?? Slovakia pic.twitter.com/IbYkwEMEyJ— World Flags (@WorldFlags7) August 13, 2018
In May, both country’s prime ministers resigned on the same day, further muddying the waters.
To avoid confusion between Slovenia and Slovakia Slovenian prime minister to resign as well.
— Ziga Turk (@ZigaTurkEU) March 14, 2018
Mohoric’s triumph is the fulfillment of great promise for the 23-year-old that started at the 2012 Road World Championships in Valkenburg. The Slovenian won the Junior title, beating Louis Meintjes, before edging out Caleb Ewan to take the Under-21 title the next year in Tuscany. Cannondale signed the double rainbow winner in 2014, but his career could find no purchase with the Argyle Armada.
It was only when he transferred to Lampre-Merida in 2016 that the wins started, and last season, with his team rebranded as UAE-Emirates, Mohoric nabbed a stage of the Vuelta a España.
He came over to Bahrain-Merida this year, and at the Giro d’Italia, he descended like a stone in the final 15-km of the 10th stage to win his second Grand Tour stage.
Never Give Up! #Giro #Giro101 pic.twitter.com/WcZZOhSKVM
— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 15, 2018
Roglic, who always comes with an acknowledgement of his ski jumping past, has developed into a legitimate Grand Tour threat, as this year’s fourth place in the Tour de France confirmed. On his palmares, he has two Tour stage victories and a Giro stage win as well. Naturally, the LottoNL-Jumbo rider has also earned two Tour of Slovenia triumphs.
Other Slovenians in the WorldTour are Mitchelton-Scott’s Luka Mezgec and a large Bahrain-Merida contingent that includes Luka Pibernik, Kristijan Koren, Gregor Bole, David Per, Domen Novak, Borut Božič and, as of next year, Jan Tratnik, who will join from CCC.
In the Women’s WorldTour, one of the main teams, BTC City Ljubljana, is from Slovenia.
