"The public expects a lot": Pogacar's successor has a lot of work ahead of himself to live up to predictions

The 2026 season is about to begin. It will be a key year as a new three-year cycle also starts. But there will be much to watch beyond the relegation fight. One rider drawing big expectations is Jakob Omrzel. The Slovenian, at just 19, won his country’s Elite National Championships, and the comparisons with Tadej Pogacar were inevitable.

All the more so as Omrzel, who will ride for Bahrain Victorious’s first team after stepping up from the development squad, also secured the GC at the Giro Next Gen, the under-23 version of Corsa Rosa. A Slovenian who wins a U23 Grand Tour, with a huge engine and a steel-trap mentality. The script sounds familiar.

In 2025, Jakob Omrzel made it clear he belongs to the sport’s future elite and, hearing him speak, it’s easy to see why many mention him alongside Tadej Pogacar. He explained as much in his interview with IDL Pro Cycling.

Omrzel stressed he knows the pressure is coming, but it doesn’t worry him. He also outlined his own goals despite the comparisons with Pogacar, making it clear his focus will be on general classifications, with the cobbled classics a little more in the background.

"The public expects a lot, but it doesn’t affect me. I know my progression and what I can do. The goals will come. Pressure even helps: it forces you to believe you can do it," said Jakob Omrzel, regarding the towering figure of Tadej Pogacar ahead of him.

Pogacar won the Tour de l’Avenir early in his career. Omrzel, the Giro Next Gen. But they share something else: comfort on the cobbles. While Pogacar shone at this year’s Paris-Roubaix, Omrzel already knows what it’s like to win there… when he triumphed in the junior race two years ago.

However, his main focus goes elsewhere: "I’m more oriented to general classifications. But it’s also good to feel competitive on the cobbles. They’re very different races and they make you more complete. I like working on that too."

And if he has to define himself, he doesn’t hesitate: "I’m a climber. I’m not a sprinter, except when only climbers are left and everyone is on the limit. That’s where I can take advantage. I try to improve in everything, but everyone ends up specializing in what they are [best at]," he concluded.