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Tour of Slovenia 2026 preview: Lipowitz, Pellizzari and the race before the race

Lipowitz and Pellizzari give Slovenia a real GC spine, but Pithie, Zambanini, Lonardi and Rajovic can turn the five days into more than a climbing contest.

Favorites
Florian Lipowitz
Lipowitz is the overall favorite, Pellizzari is the most obvious climbing challenger, and Pithie, Edoardo Zambanini, Lonardi and Rajovic keep the race from becoming a pure climber's procession.
Giulio Pellizzari
Giulio Pellizzari has the climbing or all-round profile to stay in the overall race when the route starts taking time.
Laurence Pithie
Laurence Pithie belongs in the GC tier because the race should reward repeatability, not one isolated attack.
Edoardo Zambanini
Edoardo Zambanini gives Tour of Slovenia another credible overall option if the top favorite is forced to defend early.
Giovanni Lonardi
Giovanni Lonardi can move up if the race is decided by positioning, recovery and small gaps rather than one set-piece climb.
Dušan Rajović
Dušan Rajović is a useful watchlist pick because the current field still leaves room for a disciplined outside GC ride.
Tour of Slovenia 2026

Tour of Slovenia starts with a question that makes the race more interesting than its size: can the climbers make the GC hard enough before the fast men and bonus seconds get involved? Florian Lipowitz and Giulio Pellizzari give the race a proper overall shape.

Why this race matters

It is a useful June proving ground for young GC riders, especially those trying to turn strong spring form into summer responsibility.

Route and pressure points

The Velenje-to-Novo mesto route should reward riders who can handle repeated medium-mountain pressure rather than wait for one giant Alpine day.

Favorites for the overall

Lipowitz is the overall favorite, Pellizzari is the most obvious climbing challenger, and Pithie, Edoardo Zambanini, Lonardi and Rajovic keep the race from becoming a pure climber’s procession. The current favorites card is led by Florian Lipowitz, Giulio Pellizzari, Laurence Pithie, Edoardo Zambanini, Giovanni Lonardi and Dušan Rajović.

What could change the race

If Laurence Pithie, Giovanni Lonardi or Dusan Rajovic survives the harder days, the GC riders may have to race aggressively earlier than planned.

Recent context

Slovenia has become a meaningful June checkpoint because it can reveal which emerging riders are ready for a bigger summer role.