“I am not the new Pogacar” – Slovenia’s next star Jakob Omrzel wins the Giro d'Italia Under 23
CyclingMonday, 23 June 2025 at 00:30
Slovenian cycling may have found its next big talent. Jakob
Omrzel has become only the second Slovenian rider to win the Giro d'Italia Under 23,
completing an impressive comeback on the final stage to take overall victory.
Riding for the Bahrain-Victorious Development Team, Omrzel
sealed the title in Pinerolo by finishing second on the final stage, enough to
overturn an 11 second deficit to Australian Luke Tuckwell (Red
Bull-BORA-hansgrohe Rookies). Remarkably, Omrzel took the overall win without
winning a single stage.
“This is something incredible,” he said to Sportal. “I honestly didn't
expect to win the first year of this race, but I wanted it and set a high goal
for myself. If you have a goal and work towards it, you can achieve great
things. I will say again that I am not the new Pogacar, I am just Jakob Omrzel
and we will see what I can do in the future.”
The 19-year-old from Novo Mesto has been quietly building a
name for himself this season. He recently finished fourth at the Tour of
Slovenia, claiming the white jersey for best young rider, and his performance
over the past week confirms him as one of the brightest U23 prospects in the
sport.
Is Omrzel set to follow in Pogacar and Roglic's footsteps?
He credited his team and the race’s cooperative dynamic for
the success. “I knew I felt good, but I didn't know if it would be enough to
make a difference to Tuckwell,” Omrzel explained. “I knew it was possible, I
believed in it and I worked hard for it. With the help of the team, we did a
great job. But I also have to thank Nordhagen for continuing to be there at the
front. He didn't just wait for me. He helped and worked hard. It was a perfect
ending for both of us.”
Omrzel may have announced himself as Slovenia’s next promise
after Pogacar and Primoz Roglic, but he is quick to distance himself from the
inevitable comparisons. “I haven’t grasped everything yet. It will take me a
few more days for something like this. I’m proud, I really can’t find the right
words to describe it all. I think it's still too soon for the real Giro. We'll
see how I feel next year.”
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- It was his own actions, the video shows clearly. Its called cheating, plain and simple, there are no excuses.abstractengineer25-07-2025
- I hope not. The slovenian way is not normal at all, and very boring. I hope instead wada find out.MauroG25-07-2025
- he needs whatever solution pogacar found between 2023 and 2024, when he came back UNBEATABLE by van der poel in classics like flanders AND unbeatable in the grand tours. in 2023 cycling looked like it was in the midst of an absolute Golden Age of high level competitiveness, but by just the nest season pogacar got so much better that the competition was all but over. what was left was van der poel in races like roubaix and MSR. as i’ve said, i think next year pog will up his level again somehow and close the door on mathieu ever winning those races again.OCexile25-07-2025
- No. I think he was in the limit from pulling the entire climb like Jonas on VentouxGuavaking25-07-2025
- Remco and Florian would be as good as it gets for co-leadership.
Llywelynglyndwr25-07-2025 - He’s been a damp squib since day one of the tour.. I’m going to attack but he’s never really put Pogi under pressure at any point. The tour has been utterly brutal, the first ten days were intense the mountains harsh! Yesterday and today were as brutal as I can remember the Alps in many yearsslappers6625-07-2025
- My bad mobk, didn't see that
D3kst3r25-07-2025 - Does anyone doubt that Pogacar could have won this stage if Arensman wasn't a friend? He comfortably pulled at the front fast enough that Onley was dropped, the gap to Arensman was made smaller, and Vingegaard wasn't able to attack until the last few meters while Pogi freewheeled over the line.velodan25-07-2025
- Of course he has. He already proved it. With a strong team like bora, they would be able to compete more with Visma and UAEChrisBe25-07-2025
- I was replying to the comment from Scott claiming Tadej was tired from pulling Jonas :-)mobk25-07-2025
I think of these comparisons between riders as being one of the most cruel things in cycling. It's what has meant that no French cyclist has won the Grand Boucle since Bernard Hinault (correct me if I'm wrong). It's what made it so cruel for Wout van Aert, when he was struggling and Van der Poel was doing so well. To compare such a young rider like Omrzel to Pogačar is what could be the end of his career, I'm serious. That being said, I can't say I don't want to see a repeat of the 2020 Tour de France, with Pogačar finally feeling what Roglič felt.