Jan Tratnik seventh in a rainy stage to Sappada: "I really enjoyed the support of the Slovenian fans along the way"

Jan Tratnik finished seventh in Sappada after a day spent in the breakaway. With many Slovenian fans on the side of the road and a passage through San Daniele del Friuli, the place where Tratnik has won a stage at the 2020 Giro d'Italia, he finished in a chasing group. The stage win went to the brave attacker Andrea Vendrame.

"This was definitely a day where I wanted to be in the breakaway," Tratnik said in a press release. "A lot of other teams wanted that too, which caused a tough start of the stage. After the breakaway with Attila and Edoardo was caught, six riders immediately formed a new leading group. In the chasing group we never lost hope, which allowed us to close the gap before the foot of the first hill."

"On that first hill, the Passo Duron, things went a bit too fast for me. On the steep sections Julian Alaphilippe was pulling solidly. If I decided to follow, my legs would explode. I decided to ride at my own pace in the chasing group. Also there we kept believing, but we didn't get a second closer. This result was the highest possible, but I can look back on this stage with satisfaction. I really enjoyed the support of the Slovenian fans along the way," Tratnik concluded.

Two days of racing are left for the remnants of Visma | Lease a Bike. The Saturday's stage with two ascents of Monte Grappa will likely turn out too hard for Tratnik who might try to put in some work for the Hungarian champion Attila Valter. Sunday's arrival to Rome could provide a chance for an attack by the Slovenian, but it's more likely he'll put it another effort for their newly-found sprint leader, the 24-year-old all-rounder Tim van Dijke.