Jan Tratnik aged like a good wine, the red bull gave him his wings

No more news is that this season Jan Tratnik The Dutch team of Visma Lease Bike, previously known as Jumbo Visma, exchanged for German Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe.

In September 2024, it was announced to join forces again with Primož Roglič. Tratnik said: “I may not be the youngest, but I am very pleased to join a team with so many ambitions. I still have a lot of personal goals, but I also want to share my experience with young people and help the team overcome the boundaries in all areas. « 

No, he has not only come to this German team because of Primož Roglič, but because this team that would like to climb the world summit, urgently needs a cyclist with such extensive experience as he has in the cycling caravan and popular among fans « Syuk«.

They need Jana mainly to make it a mentor to the young people at this level every year. This is the case in teams that have a very rich budget, and the Germans have it.

Such teams quickly take every young man who only smells of talent. It is no longer unusual now if there is a cyclist in such a World Series team who has barely turned 18. Such young people are quite lost in the world of cycling sharks, as cyclists affectionately call themselves when it comes to nails.

The Slovenes, however, lived in the belief that Roglic was the one who told his bosses and owners that he wanted to have a Tratnik back before his bike.

When we asked Primož last year if he was lucky to be a « Idrija locomotive » with him, he replied that he was most comfortable in his wind; Man, even without Red Bull, gets a wings.

“I felt good at Jumbovci all the time. I didn’t miss anything. But I got a different role here. As a mentor to young people. I know I can help them. I was a robot with my previous employer. There will be a little bit here. I will also be racing for myself if I can. The new story is written in the new team and it is nice to be part of it, next to it is this facility Primož. We have a great time, ”said Tratnik, who turned 35 in February, before this season.

Bad start, probably a great end

Jan was a little racing this year. Already in the opening race he experienced Calvary. However, this time he was not guilty. It was the incredibly bad weather at the Etoile de Bessèges in France. The entire team left the race in the third stage.

“In the first two stages, everything was planned. We didn’t make any mistake with the team, so I could hardly wait for the sequel. Due to poor organization, roadblocks have already encountered cars in the first two stages. In the second stage, we were fortunate to see the car in time and also responded in a timely manner and started braking.

Nevertheless, this stage was very tense all the way to the destination. Of course, cyclists were not satisfied with such a level of security. After a few meetings with the organizer, we nevertheless started the third, rainy stage, but the story repeated after ten kilometers. At that time, we stopped and protested as the whole peloton.

I will not focus too much on what went wrong, but I put security first and I didn’t want to take the risk. The team supported us in this decision, which meant that the race was over for us. I returned home reassured and motivated for the next races.

Nevertheless, the race was a good stepping stone into the new season, as I spent the ice with a new team and got used to driving in Peloton, « Syuk said after his resignation.

After this unfortunate start in the new team, he has started fifteen more times this season. He defended last year’s victory at the Omloop NieWsblad classic. He did not defend her, but he helped Roglic in the Algarve race.

Roglic surprisingly did not win, he finished eighth. But it was Primož’s first race of the season and his engines were not warmed up for a competitive speed. A race after Catalonia soon followed and he had already flew there to win. Of course, on the wings of Jana Tratnik, a cycling assistant who is probably not a couple in the world series caravan.

Giro as the first highlight of the season

The upcoming Giro will be the first highlight of the season. The team has Primož Roglič, which means that the favorite is number one to win. And the whole team is subordinate to his fight for a pink T -shirt. Tratnik will have a lot of work here.

We know what a cycling helper is doing in the race. It consumes its power for another. Everything has to do so that his client comes to the most rest when the race begins to break. That’s what cyclists say. The cycling helper is aquifers, an abundance and a shoulder for crying, all at the same time; Yes, also a mother and father and a psychotherapist.

A good assistant learns from experience, this profession is not a theory, only experience counts. And who could cycle them more than Jan and his head has just Jan? His career was turbulent as rarely.

Jan Tratnik is a permanent member of the Slovenian national team. Photo: Vid Ponikvar/Sportida

It seems to me that there are only two such cyclists in Peloton, namely Jan Tratnik and his namesake, a year younger Czech Jan Hirt. Throughout their careers, good and bad experiences have accumulated, and their path was not smooth as an asphalt on Gir, but rather scattered, as in a macadam race in Kansas.

Tour as full of cold water can

Also, Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe set herself this year as the main goal of the season. Of course, if you have Tratnik and Roglic, you can dare. Tratnik will also be there as an assistant, « domestique » for French cycling.

The cyclist who is in the biggest roles in the races. The one who offers the v and as a servant carries food and drink, the one who the longest hunting fugitives who must have constant control over the race, the one who is first aid in crisis moments and who gives the greatest psychological support.

According to Jan, Primož does not look at the year of birth, years are just a number, and as long as you are one of the best road cyclists in the world, you have to do this mission to the best of your ability. And cycling is becoming a mission for Tratnik.

We will not be amazed if, after his career, he will remain in this sport as a teacher to all cyclists who have been out of the way, just like he has repeatedly. Or to all those who want to become the best out of better. However, there is a long way to go there. Jan Tratnik ages like a good wine and, as an old special, has become more valuable over the years.