Thursday, 18th June 2020 – The Slovenian National Road Championship is taking place this weekend, as one of the first National Championships in Europe after the coronavirus pandemic. All Team Bahrain McLaren Slovenian riders will attend the race and, as always, aim for the best results.
Each of our Slovenian riders was already a National Road Champion in the past. Domen Novak won the title last year, Matej Mohorič the year before that, Jan Tratnik in 2016, Luka Pibernik in 2015, and Grega Bole in 2011. The race will be held on the beautiful roads of the Gorenjska region, already known globally for its amazing hiking and cycling routes.
The 146 kilometres long course will be a challenging one, with the start in Cerklje na Gorenjskem and the finish on 1.079 meters above sea level, in Ambrož pod Krvavcem. A true challenge, especially since most of the riders just recently started to regain their pre-pandemic shape. Despite this, the fact that most of them will have their families and friends cheering for them from the first rows is an excellent motivator and will surely provide them with a big boost.
Gorazd Štangelj, our Slovenian Sport director is optimistic for the boys: “We take the National Championship very seriously and will, of course, aim for the podium. But we are aware that it will be a challenge, due to the finish on top of the hill. The last 8 kilometres of climbing will be extremely hard and there are some favourites from other teams. The fact is that the National Championship is a specific and unpredictable race, so it is therefore hard to define a leader before the start of the race. However, all of our riders have the same opportunity to show their best performance and take the leading role.”Although the race is one of the first ones after the Covid-19 pandemic, we are certain that our riders have good chances to win and that the next Slovenian National Road Champion is not unlikely to wear the Bahrain McLaren jersey.
