The Peloton Acts Like Organized Chaos
The Ormož Sprint – Tour of Slovenia, Stage 2
This was one of the biggest opportunities of my career.
When we first went through Ormož, it was already a full fight for position because a very crucial part of the race was coming. We were heading towards the Jeruzalem climb and the other climbs around it before coming back to Ormož.
Jan Tratnik was setting a very hard tempo in order to drop the sprinters, which would suit Laurence Pithie perfectly. The pace on the climbs was brutal, and I was managing to keep myself around 15th position. I was genuinely surprised that I could pull it off. My legs were flying that day.
The Neutralization
Neutralizations are never a good sign.
We were informed that there had been a crash and that the race doctor had to leave with the injured rider. We had to wait for the doctor to return before the race could continue. In fact, the crash happened right in front of me.
Throughout the climbs and descents around Jeruzalem, the roads were narrow and the speeds were right on the limit. The group was stretched out, and we were going through the descent one by one.
On one left-hand corner, the cyclist in front of me took a line that wasn't ideal. His cornering angle had to be a bit more aggressive to make it work. Then his front wheel lost grip, or maybe he touched the front brake slightly, and within a matter of milliseconds, he slid off the road.
It didn't look particularly dangerous, and I thought he would be fine. But it turned out that he was the rider who ended up in critical condition.
I was devastated when I heard.
The Fight with the UCI
The 40 of us had already been waiting on the road for several minutes, and the soigneurs were coming from behind with water. I went back to get some before the race moved on.
That was when another group flew past me. I immediately realised what I'd done. How were the commissaires supposed to know that I had been in the first group and not the second? I should have left my bike there, or at least told the commissaires that I was part of the front group. It was impossible to explain that I had actually been in the first group, and they wouldn't let me pass. Then some riders from the first group stood up for me, and I was allowed back into the front group.
Flame Rouge
I had survived the rollercoaster, and it was now a sprint from a reduced group of around 40 guys. I knew this sprint very well, and I had been looking forward to it. At the corner with about 1.5 km to go, I was too far back. I made an excellent move around the outside, carrying more speed into the corner than the peloton, and passed around 20 guys in one move. Then there was a fast downhill, an uphill section, and finally a flat run to the finish. On the uphill, I tried not to lose momentum, but I didn't succeed and got stuck in the middle of the group. I touched a few riders in order to create some space, and eventually I managed to get through.
The Sprint
I was finally there, and I couldn't wait to explode. I would have gone straight away if there had been an opening. And there was. I saw a rider from Modern Adventure open up with around 350 metres to go, and I went straight after him.
The thing about sprint finishes is that everything happens in milliseconds. You cannot overthink a decision because the opening will close and the opportunity will disappear.
So I went after the Modern Adventure rider. However, at that exact moment, the road tilted to the right. Naturally, the whole group was moving towards the right as well, because that was the fastest line. I didn't manage to get past. I got squeezed into the barriers, had to unclip to keep my balance, and my chain fell off. That's where the sprint ended for me.
I am proud of that decision, even though it turned out to be the wrong one this time.
I've never before raced purely on my instincts and trusted them like that. And that's exactly how you have to race a bunch sprint. You have to react immediately to a stimulus, and you can only react that quickly if you don't overthink.
Of course, if I had the experience of someone like Merlier, I might have known that it was too early. The better decision would probably have been to stay where I was, move up a little bit, and wait for the final 200 metres before exploding.
But that comes with experience. That peace of mind. Staying objective and focused in the chaos of a bunch sprint.
Spot croatian national champion in the barriers… that’s me
The Peloton Acts Like Organized Chaos
The peloton is organized chaos, like a bunch of sardines in the ocean.
It is chaotic, but everyone reacts together and in sync with everything that is happening around them. That is because everything happens so fast, and riders have to rely on their instincts.
For example, when everyone saw the Modern Adventure rider start his sprint so early, everyone immediately wanted his wheel. Naturally, the whole peloton shifted towards the right, following the rider and his slipstream.
The Mastery is in knowing how the bunch will react when something happens. Keeping a cool head through the chaos. Seeing it all happen before it actually does. And knowing where an opening will appear if the bunch reacts in a certain way.
Rajović's Compliment
Dušan Rajović showed everybody who was the boss that day.
I was very happy when Dušan came up to me the next day and told me that it had actually been a very good move.
He said that he saw how much momentum I was carrying and that, if I had made it through, stayed on Ben Oliver's wheel (Modern Adventure rider) and then continued with my sprint, I would have easily made the podium.
The podium in a 2.Pro race.
Wow.
