Tour of Slovenia 2023
The race on its 30th anniversary brings a challenging route with completely open possibilities for numerous cyclists.
Looking at the profile of the fourth, royal stage, it is clear to everyone that only the best climbers will engage in the battle for final victory. However, the remaining four stages should be wide open. Classic sprinters may not shine on them, and the route will also allow for breakaways.
The total distance of the race is 833.3 kilometers, and the total elevation gain amounts to a staggering 9,134 meters:
1st stage: Celje – Rogaška Slatina, 188.6 km
2nd stage: Žalec – Ormož, 163.1 km
3rd stage: Grosuplje – Postojna, 173.4 km
4th stage: Ljubljana – Kobarid, 165.6 km
5th stage: Vrhnika – Novo mesto, 142.6 km
Luka Mezgec (Team Jayco AlUla) and Domen Novak (UAE Team Emirates) are looking forward to racing on home roads, as they revealed their views on the race at the race presentation. Novak will certainly want to prove himself on the fourth stage with a double ascent of Kolovrat, where he has already shone in the past: "I know the climb from the Giro d'Italia, and I consider the entire stage a true royal stage. I'm convinced that the overall winner of the race will be decided here." Mezgec will seek his opportunities on the other stages, as there are several chances for successful attacks according to the profiles. However, he has already revealed that Dylan Groenewegen will be the main name of his team. Nevertheless, we are confident that Luka will have a chance to prove himself in his home race. So far, four teams from the highest WorldTour category have already confirmed their presence, and a total of 19 teams have registered for the race.
The race will undoubtedly be watched by tens of thousands of fans along the route, and the race will have at least two hours of live broadcast every day on Eurosport 1 and 2 channels, as well as on the Slovenian Television. So far, over 46 million cycling enthusiasts have watched the race solely through broadcasts on Eurosport, and this number is expected to increase by at least 10 million in 2023.