“Pogi is one of a kind”: Jakob Omrzel rejects Pogacar comparisons after unexpected Vuelta breakthrough

Jakob Omrzel arrived at the Vuelta a España without expecting to race a Grand Tour at all. Bahrain Victorious had initially decided that the Slovenian neo-pro would not take part in a three-week race during his first season, but a lack of suitable alternatives eventually changed the plan. What followed was a breakthrough that few could have predicted.

Omrzel entered the Vuelta without a leadership role and with the stated objective of gaining experience. By the time he left Spain, he had won a stage at Calar Alto, finished seventh overall and spent two weeks in contention for the young rider classification. The 20-year-old had turned an unexpected opportunity into one of the most notable individual breakthroughs of the race.

“After the Nationals, this idea of the Vuelta started to kick in, that I don't have any other race that I would compete in and that would really suit me,” Omrzel told Domestique. “First I was a bit sceptical, because three weeks, and at the start of the season we said that in the first year I shouldn't start a Grand Tour. But day after day I was just realising that the Vuelta is for sure the best option, and with no pressure I go there. I was not meant to be a leader, just go day by day and try to get the experience in.”

His confidence began to change during Stage 7 to Aramón Valdelinares. Omrzel was part of the breakaway on the day Andreas Leknessund won, and his performance gave him a different assessment of what might be possible during the remainder of the race.

“There I found out, okay, maybe I have the legs to really compete in another breakaway,” he said. “If the climb is a bit longer and steeper, for sure I am able to get there.”

Five days later, Omrzel made the most of that realization. He joined a breakaway containing teammates Pello Bilbao and Santiago Buitrago before attacking on the final climb to Calar Alto. The Slovenian eventually rode alone to the finish for the biggest victory of his young career.

“The whole day when I got to the break I was just feeling really good, and there was not a single moment that I would struggle,” he said. “There was this ambition to get the stage, and I was there with my two teammates, with Pello and Santi. The legs were just spinning.”

The decisive move was not something Omrzel had planned before the race. Instead, he waited for the moment when he felt the pace had eased enough to make an attack worthwhile.

“You need to feel the race, and when I felt that the pace is a bit too easy, I was just trying to anticipate a bit, to get the pace up and get guys going again and open the race. Then I was waiting for the right moment where, okay, now we can go full gas.”

The presence of Bilbao and Buitrago also gave Omrzel the confidence to race aggressively. “Santi was incredible in this race, he was just riding so good. And then on the other side you have Pello with his experience, and he showed he's really strong,” Omrzel said. “You are safe, you know that you have two guys who know how to read the race. This was also the reason why I was so confident pushing, why I was not scared to push on these pedals and go.”

The scale of Omrzel's achievement inevitably prompted comparisons with fellow Slovenian Tadej Pogacar. Winning a Grand Tour stage at just 20 years old on a first attempt makes such comparisons almost unavoidable, but Omrzel was quick to reject the idea.

“I've got this question already a million times,” he said jokingly. “Pogi is one of a kind, and to compare me with him is a bit of nonsense. You can just ride on your own and you can be yourself. To be like Pogi, this is something out of this world, and chapeau to him. I will try to do my best, but to compare me with him makes no sense.”

The Vuelta did, however, leave Omrzel with a demanding end to his debut season. He had been selected for Slovenia's World Championships team in Montréal, but ultimately withdrew because of fatigue after the three-week race.

“To go to the Vuelta was a lot for me, and then to go two weeks after the finish to already go at the Worlds for such a long race, it was kind of impossible for me at the moment,” he said. “We started to think, okay, maybe now it's a bit too much, try to rest a bit and then focus mainly on the Europeans. I think this is the better decision, and now I feel okay.”

That decision has redirected his attention toward the European Championships in Slovenia. The championships run from October 2 to 7, with the elite men's road race finishing in Šenčur on October 4. “Slovenia is small, so everything is close, and I know these roads very well. We were racing there also as a junior,” he said. “I've already been on this climb and it's nice, I like it.”

Omrzel does not expect the race to unfold with the same explosiveness as last year's European Championships. The shorter final climb could produce attacks, but the surrounding circuit leaves several possible tactical scenarios.

“I think it's not going to be so explosive, because you have a shorter kick but then the lap is not so short. A lot of scenarios can happen. I think it's going to be quite steady, but also a bit with some kicks.”

With Pogacar already out for the remainder of the season, Slovenia will not have its biggest star at the home championships. Omrzel nevertheless expects a strong turnout along the roads.

“They're predicting there's going to be quite a lot of people. Pogi is not going to race, but still they're predicting a lot of crowds beside the parcours. The atmosphere is going to be great, and even for us as riders it's going to be the cherry on top.”