At 34, Primož Roglič is aware of the clock is ticking on his time to compete with confirmed Tour de France winners Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Workforce Emirates) at La Grand Boucle and conquer the race that he most wishes.
Roglič will return to the Tour for his sixth look in the summertime after skipping the 2023 version to race the Giro-Vuelta double. That call paid off with total victory in Italy and third in Spain, leaving simply the Tour de France in his means of finishing the Grand Tour set.
He’ll lead new staff Bora-Hansgrohe as one of many 4 heavy favourites come July alongside his former teammate Vingegaard, compatriot Pogačar and the on-debut Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep). It’s a matchup he described as “lovely” to Eurosport in January.
“I’m simply tremendous pleased, and hopefully, we will all go to the Tour, and that’s one thing that’s the greatest for biking, one of the best for the folks to observe. It’s lovely, huh,” stated Roglič.
“It’s one of the best for us – to have the best stage – and one of the best one will win.”
Roglič was conscious that if he continued with Jumbo-Visma, the choice of management could be clear in Vingegaard’s favour on the Tour – a part of his reasoning to maneuver to the German staff – and it’s a actuality that he noticed within the Dane when he joined the Dutch squad as a 22-year-old.
“I knew that someday he could be the one. I knew that he might probably win the Tour, and now he has gained it two occasions,” Roglič informed Rouleur journal in its newest problem.
“For me, it’s nonetheless the Grand Tour I’m lacking. However I nonetheless wish to win it. There got here some extent the place I had to choose. It wasn’t straightforward to go away one of the best staff on the planet, a staff that has gained every thing, and are available to a totally completely different staff.
“At my age, I cannot have 10 extra alternatives to win the Tour. At 34, it’s essential have new issues to maintain going. I by no means wish to look again and say I’d by no means tried a special staff.”
The Slovenian is at the moment in Tenerife coaching up Mount Teide with teammates Aleksandr Vlasov, Jai Hindley and Lennard Kämna forward of his Bora-Hansgrohe debut in March.
Roglič begins his build-up to the Tour at Paris-Good in slightly below two weeks, the place he’s set to face off with Evenepoel. It’s a race he’s gained prior to now, however the Slovenian advised he could have to alter his strategy to pre-Tour races to have one of the best shot on the maillot jaune.
“Till now, I’ve virtually at all times gone right into a race to win, however which may change this 12 months. If I’ve to go to a race to coach this 12 months, I’ll,” Roglič stated. “The main target is on the Tour.”
He’s recognized the important thing moments of the Tour in a number of interviews because the opening duo of robust phases in Italy, stage 4 to Valloire, the gravel stage 9 and, after all, the showpiece finale of phases within the south of France.
However for now, all he’s centered on is staying wholesome after revealing to L’Equipe that he was unwell a number of occasions in winter.
With the signing of Roglič and power drinks large Crimson Bull being given the inexperienced gentle to take over the German staff later within the season, Bora-Hansgrohe have given themselves one of the best probability to attain a primary Tour de France podium and turn into one among biking’s tremendous groups.
However Roglič, a four-time Grand Tour winner and former runner-up on the Tour, is, after all, solely pondering of that prime spot.
“We aren’t the most important staff, not less than not but,” he stated. “I wish to make this staff nearly as good as attainable as rapidly as attainable, and everybody right here is enthusiastic.
“Time will inform if we will win the Tour. However we will get up each morning dreaming about it. For me, the important thing level is to enter the Tour able to win.”
