Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe sweeps first stage of Tour of Slovenia

Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe controlled the opening 142‑km stage of the 2026 Tour of Slovenia, setting a fast pace that broke the peloton in the final kilometres. New Zealander Laurence Pithie won the sprint finish, with teammate Arne Marit taking second place. A four‑rider early breakaway—including riders from Team United Shipping, Novo Nordisk, Equipo Kern Pharma and Euskaltel‑Euskadi—was reeled in with about 30 km to go, after which the German‑Austrian squad surged ahead on the short hills and set up the lead‑out.

Bahrain Victorious also featured in the front group with Edoardo Zambanini and Alberto Bruttomesso, but the Red Bull team’s relentless tempo left most sprinters, such as Giovanni Lonardi and Dušan Rajović, unable to contest the finish. The stage result highlights the team's depth ahead of the upcoming Tour de France, while the race missed the participation of Slovenian stars Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič.