“I’m not the new Pogacar,” says Baby Giro champ Ormzel
Slovenian talent Jakob Ormzel claimed the overall win at the Giro Next Gen on Sunday, edging out pre-race favorite Luke Tuckwell in a nail-biting finale. But don’t call him the next Pogacar.
“I’m the young Ormzel,” said the 19-year-old Bahrain Victorious rider, answering cycling journalism's most obvious question of any rising Slovenian talent.
Ormzel sealed his first U23 GC title with help from stage winner Jørgen Nordhagen.
The Norwegian Visma climber, 20, lit up the final climb to win the last stage and finish fourth overall. “This saves the Giro for us,” he said. “Ormzel was with me for the GC—we worked well together. I’m proud of him.”
Ormzel, still recovering from a serious crash earlier this season, said the win hadn’t sunk in yet. “I didn’t expect this. But hard work pays off.”
Ormzel joins a prestigious list of recent Baby Giro winners, including Juan Ayuso, Tom Pidcock, Pavel Sivakov, and Aleksandr Vlasov.
