Omrzel is 20 years old and has long since earned his stripes at junior and under-23 level. In 2023 he became Slovenian champion in two disciplines as a junior. In 2024 he won junior Paris-Roubaix. In his first under-23 season in 2025, he immediately won the Giro NextGen, but made an even bigger impression by becoming Slovenian elite champion. He also finished fourth at the Tour of Slovenia.
Bahrain Victorious signed him for 2025 and promoted him to the WorldTour squad after just one year in the development team. He began this season at the Faun-Ardèche Classic and Trofeo Laigueglia before riding the Tour of Catalonia. “The level there was very high. Jakob worked primarily for Lenny Martinez and Santiago Buitrago, but he is our future.”
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Omrzel won Parijs-Roubaix bij de junioren
Omrzel steps up as Tour of the Alps leader
Confronted with those words during the race, Pellizotti walked them back somewhat — not wanting to pile pressure on his young leader. Omrzel, however, did not shy away from the responsibility. “I’m where I want to be. I wasn’t at my best on day two, but I’m satisfied. From this position we can keep looking forward.” He sat eighth after two stages.
He improved as the race went on and ultimately finished sixth overall in Bolzano on Friday. The hype around him will only grow as a result. “He’s a very easy-going guy who knows what he wants to achieve — and sometimes he wants it a little too quickly. We have to calm him down occasionally, but he’s a good kid,” Pellizotti said.
Omrzel himself acknowledged during the race week in South Tyrol that things cannot move fast enough for him. “Every year it gets harder, so I’m somewhat surprised by the numbers I’m putting out. But on the other hand I have ambition, and I’m where I want to be. I always want more — but I have to be patient and try to enjoy the moment.”
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Omrzel, ook winnaar van de Giro NextGen
Omrzel already comfortable as team leader
On day three of the Tour of the Alps, Omrzel added matter-of-factly: “Right now I’m not riding as fast as I’d like, but the team is waiting for me.” And after stage five — where he finished fifth and secured his sixth place overall — he said: “I had secretly hoped for a little more, but I have to be satisfied with this. It’s already a big step forward from the start of the season.”
“Maybe I was missing a bit of training. I haven’t been to altitude yet, so there are still big steps to be made,” he said on the final day. Omrzel ran into knee problems in his first weeks with the elite squad and was unable to train for a month — so he had catching up to do. Once race-ready, the talent got immediate positive signals in Catalonia. “This is the challenge I was looking for,” he said in an earlier Slovenian interview.
“These days you have to be versatile from a young age. The time when you could develop quietly until you were 25 is over. Though I don’t feel much external pressure. Bahrain Victorious knows I’m young and is very tolerant. As a cyclist, you put the most pressure on yourself — we are the ones who push ourselves to the limit every day because we want to see results. For me, that’s not something negative. It’s simply part of modern cycling.”
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Will Omrzel return to Paris-Roubaix at elite level?
Omrzel described the Tour of the Alps as “one of the biggest goals of this period of the season”, not least because he will not race a Grand Tour in 2026, by agreement with the team. He is being managed carefully, though he will no longer race in the under-23 category. “I have nothing left to win there. I raced at under-23 level and competed with the best.”
“If I want to gain more experience, I have to race in bigger events at elite level. Here I’m riding alongside experienced guys — I learn a lot from that,” said the Slovenian champion. The Pogačar comparison leaves him largely unmoved. Pellizotti is more cautious: “Jakob knows where he stands and where he ultimately wants to go. There are so many new Pogačars right now — but there is only one Tadej.”
“I also tell him: you are Jakob Omrzel, above all keep your own personality,” the Italian adds. And yet the comparison goes beyond the Slovenian passport and climbing ability. Omrzel is genuinely versatile — his 2024 junior Paris-Roubaix win is proof of that. “If I get the chance, I will definitely go back there. It’s a race that speaks to me — and these days you have to be all-round, including on the cobbles.”