Roman Ermakov (Bahrain Victorious) won the Slovenian men's road race championship on Sunday near Novo mesto, taking the national title only months after receiving Slovenian citizenship and being cleared to race under a Slovenian licence by the UCI.
Ermakov went clear early on the hilly course around Gabrje where he built a strong lead over a chasing group with a solo victory putting almost three minutes into teammate and reigning champion Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious) who finished second. Tilen Finkšt (Solution Tech NIPPO Rali) took the final podium spot ahead of Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) and was unable to complete a national-title double after he took the time trial on Friday. The race was shortened from 15 laps to 13 due to the severe heat, but there was still around 3,000 metres of elevation gain on the day.
Slovenian National RR Elite Men Results
Novo mesto • Jun 28
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Roman ERMAKOV | TBVBahrain Victorious | 3:34:51 |
| 🥈 | Jakob OMRZEL | TBVBahrain Victorious | +2:52 |
| 🥉 | Tilen FINKŠT | NIPSolution Tech-NIPPO-Rali | +6:34 |
| 4 | Primož ROGLIČ | RBHRed Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | +6:40 |
| 5 | Matevž GOVEKAR | TBVBahrain Victorious | +7:02 |
| 6 | Domen NOVAK | UADUAE Team Emirates-XRG | +11:29 |
| 7 | Matic ŽUMER | ARBARBÖ Kärnten Sport Feld Am See | +12:03 |
| 8 | Jaka PRIMOŽIČ | HRCHrinkow Advarics | +13:43 |
| 9 | Anže RAVBAR | FACFactor Racing | +13:46 |
| 10 | Jaka MAROLT | FACFactor Racing | +13:46 |
How the licence switch worked
The 21-year-old Ermakov was born in Vyborg in Russia but has been living in Kranj, Slovenia. At the end of March this year the Slovenian national team selector Uroš Murn confirmed to Žurnal24 that the UCI had approved Ermakov to race under a Slovenian licence following his acquisition of citizenship. Under UCI regulations, a rider who gains a new nationality can change their sporting nationality and race domestic events such as the national championship. Because Ermakov had previously represented Russia at youth level, he remains ineligible to represent Slovenia at this year's European and World Championships, per the waiting-period rule that applies to international national-team selection. The domestic title, however, was not subject to that restriction.
"He is a young rider I have been following for some time. I wrote a recommendation during the citizenship process," Murn said. "I am convinced he will integrate well into the national team, especially with the generational change ahead."
How the race unfolded
It was aggressive from the start, with several riders dropped on the demanding course very early on. Ermakov went solo very early on and quickly opened a good gap on a chasing group made up of a nine-man group including Roglič, Omrzel, Govekar, Domen Novak (UAE Emirates-XRG) and Finkšt.
In the final four laps, Roglič lifted the tempo that dropped a few riders. However, he failed to close the gap and Ermakov managed to extend his gap. In the penultimate lap the chasers appeared to give up. This gave a perfect chance for Omrzel to explode out of the pack with an attack that secured a one-two finish on the day for Bahrain Victorious with Finkšt outsprinting Roglič to the final step on the podium.
Bahrain Victorious had entered five riders, the largest contingent from any WorldTour team, though Matej Mohorič did not start as he was still recovering from illness.
Ermakov reverses time trial result
The result reversed Friday's time trial championship at the same venue, where Roglič beat Ermakov by a minute and a half. However, Roglič failed to turn this time-trial form into a road race success yet again as he continues to be a bit behind his usual expected form. Is he just off form with him saying he will not be at the Tour de France? Or is time catching up?
The heat, brutal course and the aggressive approach by Ermakov may have gone in the Bahrain Victorious rider's favour with nobody willing to work with Roglič in the chase, especially with Omrzel getting a free ride.
Ermakov will wear the Slovenian champion's jersey through the 2027 national championships but cannot represent the country at Worlds or Europeans until the UCI waiting period expires.
Cover image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com
