Giovanni Aleotti is the winner of the Tour of Slovenia 2024. The 25-year-old Italian from BORA - hansgrohe successfully defended his overall lead on the extremely contested final stage of the five-day race, winning the overall classification by ten seconds ahead of Spaniard Pello Bilbao and 26 seconds ahead of fellow Italian Giulio Pellizzari.
Especially Bilbao, Briton Paul Double, and Irishman Ben Healy, who won today’s stage, tried everything on the 156.9 km section from Šentjernej to Novo mesto to unseat Aleotti from his lead. However, Aleotti and his BORA - hansgrohe teammates remained calm despite the slightly chaotic race situation and managed to neutralize all attacks. This is Aleotti’s third overall victory in a stage race, having previously won the Romanian Sibiu Tour in 2021 and 2022.
From the finish line
“From the start, the race was very hectic. With 40 or 50 kilometres to go, a strong group broke away, and I was a bit worried. But we never panicked and were able to come back and control the race. I’m really thankful for the help from my teammates – not only today but also the whole week. In the end, I focused on Bilbao, and everything went well. This is definitely the biggest achievement in my career so far. Thanks to all the people who support me.” – Giovanni Aleotti
“We knew today would be tough, and that’s exactly what happened. But the team did an excellent job. Especially Jonas Koch and Alexander Hajek, who helped to close the gap after the attack by Bilbao, Healy, and Double, showed an outstanding performance. I’m incredibly happy for Giovanni that he won the overall classification. At the Giro, he was a domestique, and now he’s showing that he can take on the responsibility of a captain. Such a success is extremely important for a young rider and will surely motivate him for the future.” – Bernhard Eisel, Sports Director
Photo: Sprint Cycling Agency