The Race around Slovenia 2024, also known as the Tour of Slovenia, once again served up tense stages and high-quality international participation. The fifth stage, which ran from Šentjerne to Novi Mesto, was particularly interesting as the riders battled it out in a fast finish that ultimately gave the win to Ben Healy from the EF Education - EasyPost team.

Team Ljubljana Gusto Santic, representing Slovenian colors, had mixed success in this stage. The best result was achieved by Dylan Hopkins, who finished the stage in 56th place, 5 minutes and 34 seconds behind the winner. Natan Gregorčič finished with a time of 12 minutes and 28 seconds behind the leaders, while Andy Sampson and Viktor Potočki had the same gap of 12 minutes and 36 seconds. Mihael Štajnar and Li Ting Wei finished the stage slightly behind their teammates.

In the overall standings (GC), Mihael Štajnar is the best ranked member of the Ljubljana Gusto Santic team in 87th place, 42 minutes and 56 seconds behind the leader. Dylan Hopkins and Natan Gregorčič also struggled, but their backlogs indicate the problems they faced during the race.

Image gallery is available here – https://lgs.kdrog.si/galerija-slik-ljubljana-gusto-santic/

The Tour of Slovenia is known for its difficulty and speed, but also for the fact that it gives smaller teams the opportunity to prove themselves on the international stage. Despite the fact that the results may not be what the team would like, every experience is valuable, especially in such a prestigious race as the race around Slovenia.