Molano fifth and Morgado best young rider in Tour of Slovenia opener

In the opening stage of the 2025 Tour of Slovenia, Sebastián Molano placed fifth for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, as António Morgado began strongly by taking the lead in the young rider’s classification.

The young Portuguese rider claimed bonus seconds with second place in the first intermediate sprint, before finishing in the peloton to sit sixth overall heading into stage 2. As for Molano, the Colombian sprinter had his forward momentum stunted in the final kilometre, but showed a fast finish through the final 200m, offering plenty of optimism for the days ahead.

As the sun beat down on the peloton in the seaside town of Piran, it was Fabio Christen of Q36.5 Pro Cycling who took the initiative. The brother of UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Jan Christen, Fabio nipped off the front of the bunch and formed the day’s break. Joining Christen up the road were three other riders, with the peloton keeping their advantage in check thanks to the work of Jayco AlUla and Lidl-Trek.

Into the last 20km, only two riders remained out front, Matic Žumer of Adria Mobil and Jaka Marolt of Factor Racing. Their efforts were ultimately in vain as the race entered a local circuit in Škofljica. With the day’s honours up for grabs, the sprinters’ teams came to the front, and the break was swamped. All that was left was the battle for the stage victory.

With the help of Alessandro Covi, the Oliveira twins delivered a characteristically smart lead-out for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, but Molano’s momentum was stunted thanks to a near-collision. The experienced Colombian used his know-how to escape danger, but fifth place on the afternoon was all he could manage as his rivals benefited from a clean run to the line.

Molano: “In the end, it was disappointing because I wanted to show my legs, but I could only sprint late on the left-hand side. The speed felt good and I know the form is good, so I am looking forward to the next opportunities.

“We have a good group of guys here and the atmosphere is really nice, so I think we can be confident of bigger things in the next stages.”

Tour of Slovenia 2025 stage 1 results

1. Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla) 3:49:21

2. Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) s.t

3. Manuel Peñalver (Team Polti VisitMalta) s.t

5. Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) s.t

General classification after Tour of Slovenia stage 1

1. Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla) 3:49:21

2. Fabio Christen (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) +1″

3. Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) +4″

6. António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +8″

9. Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +10″