Janez Brajkovič Explained

Janez Brajkovič
Fullname:Janez Brajkovič
Nickname:JB Junior
Birth Date:1983 12, df=yes
Birth Place:Metlika, Slovenia
Height:[1]
Weight:600NaN0
Discipline:Road
Role:Rider
Ridertype:Time-trialist
Proyears1:2005
Proyears2:2005–2007
Proyears3:2008–2009
Proyears4:2010–2011
Proyears5:2012–2014
Proteam5:[2]
Proyears6:2015–2016
Proyears7:2017
Proyears8:2018–2020
Majorwins:Grand Tours

Vuelta a España

1 TTT stage (2013)Stage races

Critérium du Dauphiné (2010)

Tour de Georgia (2007)

Tour of Slovenia (2012)One-day races and Classics

Janez "Jani" Brajkovič (born 18 December 1983) is a racing cyclist from Metlika, Slovenia, who most recently rode for UCI Continental team .[3] He was the world under-23 Time Trial champion in 2004.

In 2018, while riding for the team, Brajkovič was suspended after a positive anti-doping test.[4] He was banned for just over a year, and once his suspension was complete, he rejoined the team.

Career

Before he turned professional, Brajkovič won the under-23 world time trial title in 2004 by beating pre-race favourite Thomas Dekker (formerly of) by 18 seconds, with a time of 46:56.39 – an average speed of 46.975km/h.

Discovery Channel (2005–2007)

Brajkovič joined Discovery Channel midway through the 2005 season. Brajkovič was signed up as a first year professional but missed the first half of the season due to contractual obligations; he was still contracted with . In July he turned professional and made his début at the Eneco Tour and had a brilliant début start. He finished 7th in the time trial, helped sprinter Max van Heeswijk win two stages, and finished in the top 20 overall in a race won by Bobby Julich of . But to prove it was no fluke he finished 14th in the time trial in the Deutschland Tour, and eleventh in the road race at the UCI Road World Championships.

Brajkovič started 2006 impressively as well, finishing 4th in the final time trial of Tour de Suisse to take 5th overall in the general classification. Before that, in the Volta a Catalunya, he took 3rd in the stage 1 time trial, and finished 5th overall just 48 seconds down on race winner David Cañada . He did not get to ride the Tour de France, but raced the Vuelta a España where he finished second on the first mountain stage, after getting beaten by Danilo Di Luca in the sprint at the summit. After finishing fourth in the second mountain stage to the, he took the lead in the general classification, giving him the leader's jersey in a major tour for the first time.

On 22 April 2007 Brajkovič won the Tour de Georgia for his first win as a professional. He then endured a dry spell where he further acclimatised to regular top level competition before finishing second to Damiano Cunego at the Giro di Lombardia end of season classic.

Astana (2008–2009)

In 2008 Brajkovič raced in the Tour of California, the Vuelta a Murcia, Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda, the Volta a Catalunya, the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, the Slovenian National Road Race Championships, the Tour of Austria, the Deutschland Tour, the UCI Road World Championships, the Military World Championship, the Coppa Sabatini, the Giro dell'Emilia, the Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli and the Giro di Lombardia.

In 2009, Brajkovič took the leader's jersey in Stage 2 of the Giro del Trentino and held it until Ivan Basso took it on the final climb in Stage 4. Showing strong form, he rode in support of Levi Leipheimer in the Giro d'Italia.

Team RadioShack (2010–2011)

Following the 2009 season, Brajkovič left for, joining many of his former teammates and manager Johan Bruyneel. During the 2010 season, he won the Critérium du Dauphiné after being able to follow Tour de France champion Alberto Contador in the mountains and besting him in the longer time trial of the race. Following this victory, he was selected by the team to ride in his first Tour de France, mainly to support Lance Armstrong.

His 2011 Tour de France with ended early on stage 5 after a crash prevented him from finishing.

Astana (2012–2014)

On 30 September 2011, it was announced that Brajkovič would be returning to for the 2012 season.[2] He won the Tour of Slovenia in 2012. Brajkovic later rode the Tour de France where he ended up finishing 9th overall.

After having a relatively quiet 2013 season, Brajkovič wore the red leader's jersey after his team won the stage 1 team time trial in the Vuelta a España. He wore it for one day and then lost it to teammate Vincenzo Nibali.

The 2014 season was statistically the worst year of Brajkovič's career. He failed to record a stage win for the first time, which was attributed to many injuries and illnesses.

UnitedHealthcare (2015–2016)

On 29 October 2014, it was announced that Brajkovič would be joining professional continental team after 3 seasons at . Brajkovič expressed an interest in wanting to return and ride in the United States for his third different American team.[5]

Bahrain–Merida (2017)

Brajkovič joined newly formed team for the 2017 season.[6]

Adria Mobil (2018–2020)

After an unsuccessful 2017 season, Brajkovič rejoined his first professional team .[7] In July 2018 the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) informed the team about a positive anti-doping test for methylhexanamine recorded by Brajkovič. Brajkovič could have received a ban of up to two years, but this was reduced to ten months by the UCI. He initially did not extend his contract beyond the end of 2018.

After his suspension ended in September 2019, he re-signed with .[8] His first race was the 2.1-classified CRO Race.

Personal life

After his doping sentence, Brajkovič took to his personal website on 8 August 2019 to discuss his suffering with an eating disorder. He alleged that his positive test was the result of methylhexanamine contained in a food supplement he took while not being able to eat properly. He stated that he knew numerous fellow professional cyclists who suffered from the condition as well and that too little was done to prevent it.[9]

Major results

2003
  • 7th Overall Giro delle Regioni
    2004
  • 1st Time trial, UCI Under-23 Road World Championships
  • National Under-23 Road Championships
  • 1st Road race
  • 1st Time trial
  • 1st Trofeo Banca Popolare di Vicenza
  • 2nd Time trial, UEC European Under-23 Road Championships
  • 2nd Overall Grand Prix Guillaume Tell
  • 1st Stage 4a (ITT)
  • 2nd Gran Premio Palio del Recioto
  • 3rd Giro del Belvedere
  • 4th Overall Tour de Berlin
  • 5th Overall Tour of Slovenia
    2005
  • 1st Stage 3 Jadranska Magistrala
  • 3rd Time trial, UEC European Under-23 Road Championships
  • 5th Overall Tour of Slovenia
  • 1st Young rider classification
  • 5th Gran Premio Palio del Recioto
  • 8th Trofeo Zsšdi
  • 9th Overall Giro del Trentino
  • 9th Giro d'Oro
    2006
  • 5th Overall Tour de Georgia
  • 1st Young rider classification
  • 5th Overall Volta a Catalunya
  • 5th Overall Tour de Suisse
  • 9th Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León
  • Vuelta a España
  • Held after Stages 7–8
    2007 (1 pro win)
  • 1st Overall Tour de Georgia
  • 1st Young rider classification
  • 4th Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
  • 5th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
  • 10th Overall Tour de Romandie
  • 10th Overall Volta a Catalunya
    2008
  • 2nd Giro di Lombardia
  • 3rd Overall Deutschland Tour
  • 7th Overall Volta a Catalunya
  • 7th Overall Tour of Austria
  • 8th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships
  • 8th Overall Tour de l'Ain
    2009 (1)
  • National Road Championships
  • 1st Time trial
  • 3rd Road race
  • 2nd Overall Giro del Trentino
  • 6th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships
    2010 (2)
  • 1st Overall Critérium du Dauphiné
  • 1st Stage 3 (ITT)
  • 4th Overall Giro di Sardegna
  • 4th Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León
  • 5th Overall Tour de Romandie
  • 8th Classica Sarda
  • 9th Overall Volta a Catalunya
  • 9th Overall Tour of California
    2011 (1)
  • 1st Time trial, National Road Championships
  • 3rd Overall Tour of Utah
  • 7th Overall Paris–Nice
  • 7th Overall Tour de Romandie
  • 9th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné
    2012 (2)
  • 1st Overall Tour of Slovenia
  • 1st Stage 3 Volta a Catalunya
  • 5th Overall USA Pro Cycling Challenge
  • 7th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné
  • 9th Overall Tour de France
  • 9th Overall Tour de Romandie
  • 10th Time trial, Olympic Games
    2013
  • Vuelta a España
  • 1st Stage 1 (TTT)
  • Held after Stage 1
    2014
  • 3rd Overall Vuelta a Burgos
    2015
  • 4th Overall Abu Dhabi Tour
  • 5th Overall Tour of the Gila
    2016
  • 8th Overall Tour of the Gila
  • 9th Overall Tour of Slovenia
    2018
  • 8th Overall Tour of Slovenia
    2020
  • 6th Overall Tour de Hongrie
  • 8th Overall Giro della Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia

    General classification results timeline

    Grand Tour general classification results
    Grand Tour200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017
    Giro d'Italia18DNF
    Tour de France43DNF9DNF45
    / Vuelta a España30DNF2226
    Major stage race general classification results
    Race200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017
    Paris–Nice11756
    / Tirreno–Adriatico5DNF5062
    Volta a Catalunya51079154485
    Tour of the Basque Country1740DNFDNF4556
    Tour de Romandie1057923DNF51
    Critérium du Dauphiné4619724
    Tour de Suisse5DNF14
    Legend
    Did not compete
    DNFDid not finish

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: ASTANA 2011 - Roster. 2021-06-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20121215181016/http://www.proteam-astana.com/en/team/roster#jani-brajkovic. 2012-12-15. dead.
    2. News: Brajkovic joins Astana. 30 September 2011. 1 January 2012. VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc.. Agence France-Presse.
    3. Web site: Adria Mobil. UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. 17 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200217230142/https://www.uci.org/road/teams/TeamDetail/14251/1000955/257. 17 February 2020.
    4. Web site: Adria Mobil Cycling on the case of Jani Brajkovič . adria-mobil-cycling.com . 25 February 2019.
    5. Web site: Brajkovic signs for UnitedHealthcare. 30 October 2014.
    6. Web site: Bahrain-Merida confirm the signing of Brajkovic. 23 November 2016.
    7. Web site: Jani Brajkovič letos v Adrii Mobil - Novice - Adria Mobil Cycling . 30 January 2018 . 14 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190114210643/http://www.adria-mobil-cycling.com/si/novice/1058-jani-brajkovic-letos-v-adrii-mobil . dead .
    8. Web site: Jani Brajkovič will join Adria Mobil for CRO Race . adria-mobil-cycling.com . 30 September 2019.
    9. News: Ballinger . Alex . 'The feeling of being a failure is indescribable': Jani Brajkovič reveals his ongoing battle with eating disorder and his attempts to race again . 8 August 2019 . . 8 August 2019.