Jan Tratnik takes his skills to Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe in 2025, the place he’ll reunite with fellow Slovenian Primož Roglič. A two-year dedication at Visma-Lease a Bike was up on the finish of this 12 months, and the transfer to the German WorldTour squad will enable the veteran to proceed latest momentum for a seventeenth season.
“Perhaps I am not the youngest, however I am actually joyful to hitch a staff with so many ambitions. I nonetheless have a whole lot of private targets, however I additionally wish to share my expertise with the younger guys and assist the staff push the bounds in all areas,” Tratnik mentioned in a Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe press launch.
The 2024 season has been one among his best since turning skilled as a 19-year-old, which began with second at Vuelta a Murcia, a pair of third locations at Clásica Jaén and Volta ao Algarve after which a victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. That Opening Weekend win into Ninove grew to become one his greatest conquests, in a group with a 2020 Giro d’Italia breakaway stage win in San Daniele del Friuli.
All through his profession Tratnik has confirmed to be a useful domestique on varied terrain, having raced all of the Monuments and the three Grand Excursions. He has represented Slovenia at a number of World Championships and completed eighth within the Olympic street race in Paris.
When Purple Bull joined the Bora-Hansgrohe programme, they made a dedication to including younger expertise and key management so as to make a right away impression on the WorldTour in 2024. A serious strike for the squad was buying Roglič from Visma, who introduced his huge expertise and palmares, and has now added a fourth Vuelta a España victory.
All through this season and headed into 2025, Purple Bull has exhibited a revolving door of transfers and contract extensions, together with new signings of under-23 skills Giulio Pellizzari (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè), Finn Fisher-Black (UAE Crew Emirates), Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ) and 24-year-old climber Oier Lazkano (Movistar). Tratnik’s signing is a stable reinforcement for the staff within the one-day Classics, in addition to a essential endurance element for GC leaders in stage races.
“Expertise wants expertise. That is why it was essential for us to signal somebody who has been within the peloton for a number of seasons. Jan is a main instance of a rider who’s each a staff participant and has the starvation and energy to succeed on his personal,” Ralph Denk, CEO of Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe mentioned in regards to the new signing.
Tratnik confronted various well being obstacles in his profession, most not too long ago having knee surgical procedure from which he rebounded in simply 4 weeks final 12 months. Early in his profession he battled an consuming dysfunction, which brought about him to drop from the WorldTour with Quickstep in 2011 and take into account quitting the game. However he rebooted on the Continental degree at age 22 and started a trajectory again to the highest ranks, the place he has raced since 2019.
In July the early switch talks talked about Tratnik as a goal for the Purple Bull staff. Earlier than he makes the transfer for 2025, the Slovenian is anticipated to line up at his eleventh World Championships when he competes within the elite males’s street race on September 29.
