Two weeks ago, he celebrated a podium finish at the Roubaix Juniors. Today, he's awaiting surgery to repair the broken collarbone he suffered at the Eroica. Erazem Valjavec (in the opening photo by Martine Verfaillie) was in seventh heaven, after the second place in France and the new selection for the Slovenian national team at the Eroica which he wanted to experience as a protagonist, but his dream lasted less than one stage. Involved in the mega fall which eliminated over 40 riders from the race, Valjavec returned home with plans that needed to be completely rewritten.
A blow for the Slovenian who had shown himself as one of the best talents around in the category, who also landed in Italy atAutozai Contri. Always available, Valjavec nevertheless agreed to tell his story, as a leading exponent of that movement which is growing on the back of the triumphs of Pogacar and Roglic.
How did you get started cycling?
I have to thank my father (the former professional Tadej, who played for many teams such as Fassa Bortolo, Phonak, Lampre, AG2R La Mondiale and won the Settimana Lombarda and the Giro Dilettanti 1999, ed.). He remained a great enthusiast and when I was 6 years old he put me on his bike and took me with him. It was a very natural thing. Then at 10 or 11 years old I joined a company, the Kk Kranj and I started racing. I raced for an Austrian team for a year and then I joined Autozai.
Last year you already achieved good results in the Belgian and French trials. How do you feel about that type of racing?
It's just a different kind of racing. There's always gas to burn from start to finish, and that's what I like. I love the tough races with those shorter and shorter climbs at the beginning of the season, I liked them straight away and I think they are races suited to me.In 2022, I was also very fast in the final stages. Last year, I lost some momentum, but now I'm catching up. I'm also starting to train more on the climbs; I would have liked to test myself more at the Eroica, but things don't always go the way we want.
What technical characteristics do you have?
More than characteristics, I'd talk about the approach to the race. I like the adrenaline rush right from the start. It's really important for it to be challenging right from the start because we don't often have such long races. So I like it when it's challenging from start to finish. As a rider, I'm primarily a climber. I love all types of climbs, but I prefer short, repeated ones rather than long ones; they're more fun.
I saw you also do cyclocross and have competed in international races. Is it just road training for you, or could you do both like world champion Viezzi?
No, for me this is just a way to train because you learn a good technique from it. You can see how to ride a bike in slippery or other extreme conditions. It's just a training for me because I wasn't a very good technical guy at the beginning of my activity, I do it now to acquire more techniqueI will do it again, but I definitely won't do it for real.
How did you manage to dominate Paris-Roubaix as a national team, and how did your victory come about?
We hadn't planned anything. AndIt's a race that's always a lottery, you need luck not to fall, and we had that. Now we know that we're good at races like this. We were in front all day, and I joined from behind when we were pushing hard. I was one of the few who followed the world champion. Philipsen when he attacked, we went full throttle and then we were first and second at the finish line.
Was there an agreement between you and Ormzel about who should win?
We haven't talked about it, I have to say he did most of the work. At the last corner I lost the wheel for a couple of meters. So we both gave it our all without even looking back.. Knowing Ormzen And how fast it is, I think even if I wanted to, I wouldn't win. So I'm enjoying second place; I think it's still a really important result.
There are so many strong young Slovenians now. How important is it for your generation to have role models like Roglic and Pogačar?
Very much so. It's nice to have someone from your country making a difference. I think they've really inspired us. I know that cycling is becoming more and more popular in Slovenia now, whereas before, when I started, there were far fewer young people doing it.We were like three categories competing together, and there were 30 guys on the starting line. Now you find that many in just one club... And yes, a golden generation is really coming because we have a lot of really strong riders.
A little curiosity: Are you part of the Autozai Contri or the Belgian team? Acrog Tormans? Because on some sites you get credited for the latter…
I have a double license, I can race with them in Belgium. But my first team is the Italian one. So it's much easier for me to go and race in Belgium because I love racing there.. That's why I choose to do it this way. In Italy I haven't raced much this year. We only ran two races, but when we ran together we ran as a team. To Alessio (Magagnotti, ed.) I teach him a little because I already know a little more about how to race in junior races.
Do you already have contacts for next year with some I have to team up?
I have already signed with the Soudal Quick Step for two years and now we are also in contact to extend, but everything is still in progress.
What goal have you set for yourself between now and the end of the year?
I had a lot of plans, but the crash at the Eroica changed everything a bit. It's a race that doesn't bring me luck; last year I also crashed when I was among the leaders. Now it means that I will anticipate the rest period to be brilliant in the second part of the season with the Valromey stage race and the World Championships being my goal this year.
