"He deserves a good result": Jan Tratnik backs Primoz Roglic for second half of 2026 after few lesser races
Cycling
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."
"Recon is not for me"
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."
Remco Evenepoel in 2026
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."
"Roglic deserves a good result"
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."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment