"He deserves a good result": Jan Tratnik backs Primoz Roglic for second half of 2026 after few lesser races

Jan Tratnik will be a center point of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe at the 2026 Tour de France. Not because he aspires to be the main protagonist of the race, but for the role he has in the ambitions of his teammates and podium contenders Florian Lipowitz and Remco Evenepoel.

For now, the German team doesn't have a finalized selection for Grande Boucle with a list of up to 12 names still in the contention. Most of this group have been present for at least one of the many preparation camps, which Tratnik outlines as key; emphasizing socialization as important as the training workloads.

"We train together, have all our meals together, breakfast, lunch and dinner. After dinner we sit around for a while, talk, maybe go for a drink somewhere. The day goes by quickly. It's important to get to know each other as a team, even when you're not on the bike," Tratnik tells Sportal.

There's also been plenty room to build a bond with his leaders for Tour: "I think we hit it off pretty quickly. I spend a lot of time with both of them. On the bike and off the bike, they're both great. I think they respect me a lot, they ask for advice. That means a lot to me. I'm happy to share any experience I can with younger riders."

As has become a good tradition for GC contenders, the months leading up to Tour are often an opportunity to visit some of the key cols at the upcoming Tour. However Tratnik did not accompany Evenepoel and Lipowitz, opting to stick to more "from-the-drawing-board" approach.

"Florian and Remco went to see certain parts. I think Remco is even on the lookout now. I wasn't. My job is to review the stages with the sports directors to see what can happen, where there can be a good opportunity for us, where we need to be careful."

From his position as key domestique, Tratnik pinpoints the first block of racing as very important for the final outcome of this Tour because of its character with several "trap" days where a favourite may be caught off-guard.

"The first nine days will be the most important. There are stages where you have to be at the forefront all the time, because the finishes are very fast, nervous and difficult. We know that Remco is quite fast in such difficult finishes. We would also like to go for stage wins. The team time trial is also a great opportunity, but every team will want to win, so it will be difficult."

Just how stacked is the team of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe is evident from the fact that five-time Grand Tour winner Primoz Roglic is hardly the main talking point within the team. But with a startlist which leaves a lot to be desired, Roglic may well aim to become the sole record holder with five triumphs at Vuelta a Espana.

As a compatriot and teammate, Tratnik naturally hopes Roglic can regain his rhythm after few lesser months.

"Primoz seemed very good to me last week. He rode fast on the climbs, he was very motivated for the Tour de Suisse. I really hope he gets a good result (the interview was on Tuesday, note). The last few races haven't gone his way, so I hope he can do something good. If he were on the podium, it would be nice. He deserves it."