"I was all over the place", Jan Tratnik openly discusses his eating disorder that troubled him after Omloop victory

Jan Tratnik celebrated his 34th birthday on Friday and got to celebrate again on Saturday with a victory in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. "The older the wine, the better it gets," he was told by team boss Richard Plugge on Friday at the team hotel. And there's quite a story behind that, which Tratnik himself elaborated on after his win in the season-opening classic.

First, the story of the Omloop, where Tratnik, like the rest of the peloton, seemed beaten for a long time. "When the echelons formed, I was actually quite far forward. I was keeping an eye on where Wout van Aert was, but I made a mistake in one corner and lost too many positions. The front group accelerated again, and because of that, I just missed out on joining them as one of the last. But well, we had five guys from the team in the break. It was up to me and Dylan van Baarle to control the situation, but I also didn't believe anymore that we would catch up," he said honestly afterwards.

"Suddenly, everyone came back together, which put us back in the race, and I ultimately made my move." That Wout shouted something in my ear - according to sports director Arthur van Dongen 'it's for you, Jan!' - was news to the Slovenian. "I was a bit foggy, so I don't remember exactly. I heard that I had a gap, but there was talking from all sides through the earpiece. When someone like Wout says he'll protect your attack, you get wings. I hesitated for a moment, because Wout and Christophe are very strong in the sprint. That was quite a responsibility."

A responsibility he embraced with both hands. "If I had been in another team and attacked with Nils Politt, Visma would start to chase. Now, they protected my attack, and it was up to me. That Nils kept pushing hard? That wasn't my problem, haha. This was a beautiful birthday present, for sure. Four of my best friends from Slovenia and my girlfriend Ursa, from Monaco, came over, so it made for a perfect day."

Tratnik reflects extensively on 'dark moments' in his career

"Looking back on my career, it wasn't all as beautiful as it seems. I've experienced many ups and downs. I quickly joined the best team in the world at the time, Quick-Step, but I faced many dark moments there and almost quit cycling," says Tratnik, who, at the age of 20 in 2010, won the prestigious under-23 race Gran Premio de Liberazione, securing a contract with the major Quick-Step team of Tom Boonen, Sylvain Chavanel, Niki Terpstra, Zdenek Stybar, and so on.

Those dark moments made him lose his joy. "I had an eating disorder, which was pretty bad. It wasn't that I ate too much or too little, but more a combination. I was all over the place," the Slovenian says. "Actually, my career had already stopped, but through Tirol (2013) I ended up at another small team, Amplatz. That's how I started to grow again. You know what I think it is? I started cycling when I was 18, but within two years, I was already with Quick Step. That was too fast. But looking back on it now, I've learned a lot. I can be proud of myself," he states after his victory in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

"Somehow, I kept believing in myself. Looking back now, I think it's a good inspiration for the younger generation," says Tratnik, who at 34 years old still believes he has a long career ahead. "I still have a lot of motivation, and I still think my age doesn't define me. I lost quite a few years. In 2017, I made a comeback with CCC, so I think my career actually started there."

Through Bahrain Victorious - where he won a stage in the Giro in 2020 - he eventually joined the ranks of Jumbo-Visma in 2022. Beside Primoz Roglic, he was meant to play a significant role in last season's Giro, but bad luck struck again. In a collision with a postal bus, he broke his kneecap. "At first, they told me my season was over, but within four weeks, I was back on the bike. After two days, I started working out. I wasn't stressed and believed that anything was possible as long as I put in the effort. That's paying off now."

At Visma | Lease a Bike, they are very pleased with him, as Plugge let us know. "Jan is a very friendly and helpful guy, who looks out for everyone. Normally, he does a lot of work for others, and that's why I'm so happy he could win here. He's also someone who's always there when you need him, so in the background, he's also a leader. He's a team player, and an incredibly strong one at that. We're very happy with him."

The team player in Tratnik sometimes finds it hard to think of himself, the Slovenian shared. "Maybe I didn't believe in myself enough. I've had opportunities in Spain and the Algarve in recent weeks, but we have such a good team here. My attack was instinctual; the race was so tough. I wasn't sure of my chances, but I think I played it well in the last kilometer."

And if one thing is certain, it's that the fine wine in Tratnik has many more years to go, both on and off the bike. "Cycling is just a part of life, so you should also try to enjoy it. When you stop cycling, life goes on," concludes the amiable man.