"A victory is a victory" - Despite big mistake, Primoz Roglic takes time on Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel at Itzulia time-trial
Cycling
Primoz Roglic has beaten all the favorites in the opening time trial of the Itzulia Basque Country 2024. The Slovenian, after a modest Paris-Nice, has shown all his potential being better than Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Juan Ayuso and the rest of the favorites in Irún.
After the test he commented in Eurosport that the sensations had been very good: "It was fantastic, it's great to be here again, the legs went well, I felt strong, I made a mistake at the end at the finish line, but I was able to correct it and it seems to be enough for now."
Nevertheless, he took 11 seconds on Remco Evenepoel - who also crashed at the start of the race - and 15 on Jonas Vingegaard. Although it is not a race-winning gap, it is enough to take time on the opening day and above all give a boost of confidence that was unexpected.
Roglic missed the final corner, losing critical seconds, which should nevertheless not be enough to stop him from winning the opening stage.
"I've done too much recon turning to the right so I turned, but then I realized that the finish was already there and that I had made a mistake, so I had to turn around to get into the finish," he explained.
Finally, he made it clear that there is a lot of hardness ahead in the Basque Country and that such a result after his Paris-Nice is positive:
"Paris-Nice didn't go the way I wanted, here is another race, today was the easiest day of the whole Itzulia, the truth is that if you can win something, a victory is a victory, on the other hand there is a lot of mountain left."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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