Lejla Tanović overall winner of Grand Prix Banja Luka

(Patria) - Lejla Tanović and Slovak Martin Haring are the overall winners of the stage UCI S2 race Grand Prix Banja Luka, which was held over five stages at Kastel and Banj brdo in Banja Luka. The winners earned 80 UCI points each, which count towards the qualification standard for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.  

The best BH cyclist and competitor of the professional Brujula Bike Racing Team finished 4th in the first time trial stage due to a technical problem with her bike, while German Lia Schrievers took the win. Schrievers was leading the general classification and held the yellow jersey until the penultimate stage, which was also the toughest at 63 kilometers in length, where Tanović took the win with over 9 minutes of advantage over the German.

“This was an extremely tactical race given that the stages are short and flat. However, our tactic to conserve myself in the first stages in order to build an advantage on the toughest fourth stage proved to be a winning one. I rode the last fifth stage routinely, where I preserved my lead in the overall standings and avoided technical problems or falls. It was very interesting to compete with Lia over five days of racing and ultimately earn valuable 80 UCI points,” said Lejla Tanović.

A large number of professional cyclists from 18 countries took part in the exceptionally well-organized race, earning UCI points that help them achieve the standard for the Olympic Games.

“After the first day where we had really little luck, Lejla showed her experience and in the following stages rode confidently and smartly. I am very pleased with Lejla's form, which is constantly on the rise, and she is riding her best season so far, as proven by winning the highest number of UCI points in a single race. The audience certainly helped, cheering for Lejla throughout all five days of racing,” said national team selector Amar Njemčević at the end.