ANALYSIS: Red Bull - Bora - hansgrohe say Primoz Roglic is not too old to win the Tour de France, but what do the history books say?

There’s no doubt about it, Primoz Roglic’s debut season with Red Bull – Bora – hansgrohe was a success. In his first season since leaving Jumbo Visma, the Slovenian won the Criterium du Dauphine, and more importantly the Vuelta a Espana which he won for the fourth time in his incredible career. For 99% of riders in the peloton, winning those two races in the same year would be the greatest season of their career. Of course, Tadej Pogacar completed the triple crown in 2024, which rightfully dominated the headlines as one of the greatest seasons ever.

In reality, Roglic had a superb year. But does it not feel as if we’ve seen this story before? Roglic enters the Tour de France in great form, Roglic crashes at the Tour de France, Roglic saves his season by winning the Vuelta. Yep, it does sound familiar, and that’s not take anything away from Roglic’s year, but time really is ticking on if he ever wants to win the Tour de France, the one thing missing from his palmares.

Red Bull - Bora – hansgrohe head of performance Dan Lorange recently told Velo that at 35, he still thinks that Primoz Roglic can improve, “Primoz can still be there with Pogačar and Evenepoel. If we get his build-up and preparation right, why can’t he?

“We see Primoz’s numbers are as good as ever, improving even.”

These comments will certainly raise a few eyebrows, but could they be true? We hope they are, as a four way fight for the Tour de France next year with Roglic going up against Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel would be every cycling fans dream.

In this article we will took at how important of a factor age is in cycling, and what other sports stars have climbed to the summit of their respective sports at Roglic’s age or older.

Age plays a critical role in professional cycling due to the brutal physical demands of the sport. Peak performance in cycling typically aligns with the late 20s to early 30s, when athletes combine the endurance gained through years of training with their peak physiological capacity. Factors like VO₂ max, recovery speed, and muscle power tend to diminish with age, making it harder for older riders to sustain the highest levels of performance.

In addition to physical changes, cycling is also mentally taxing. The ability to handle the pressures of competition, maintain focus over long stages, and execute precise tactics often improves with experience, giving older riders an edge in certain scenarios. However, the reality of multi-week races like the Tour de France can expose any physical decline, as the recovery demands are immense. And there’s also factors like family, as riders get older they’re more likely to have more people to take care of, which may give them a priority above pushing to the absolute limit on their bike.

Despite these challenges, modern training methods, nutrition, and recovery technology have extended the competitive careers of many cyclists. Riders like Primoz Roglic, who at 35 remains a top contender, demonstrate that age doesn't have to be a barrier to the extent it used to. Nonetheless, time is always a factor, and for Roglic, the question is whether he can capitalize on his remaining years to claim the elusive Tour de France victory.

Winning the Tour de France is an extraordinary feat at any age, but for some riders, it has come later in their careers, defying the odds and expectations of the sport. The oldest winner in Tour history is Firmin Lambot, who triumphed in the 1922 edition at the age of 36 years and 4 months, slightly older than Roglic will be on the start line of next year’s Tour. Competing during an era when road conditions and equipment were far less advanced than today, Lambot's victory remains one of the most incredible achievements in the sport’s history.

In the modern era, age has become even more significant as riders look for every extra percentage in their performance. The oldest winner of the Tour in the 21st century is Cadel Evans, who claimed victory in 2011 at 34 years old. Evans' triumph was the culmination of years of near-misses and his yellow jersey was thoroughly deserved when he finally got his hands on it. His success inspired many, proving that riders in their mid-30s could still compete at the highest level.

While the Tour de France has seen relatively few older winners, other Grand Tours have witnessed extraordinary achievements by veteran riders. The most striking example is Chris Horner, who at 41 years old won the 2013 Vuelta a España, becoming the oldest rider ever to win a Grand Tour. Horner's victory, which included outpacing rivals decades younger on the climbs, showed that winning a grand tour in your 40s was still possible.

The average age of Tour winners historically comes in the late 20s to early 30s, according to data compiled by Topend Sports. This trend reflects the balance between the advantage of youth and endurance, and experience built through years of professional racing. For Primoz Roglic, he may be slightly older than the average, but it is not entirely out of the question that he could still win the Tour.

Cycling isn't the only sport where athletes have defied father time to summit the pinnacle of their respective sports. In several individual sports, older competitors have climbed to the top of their disciplines, showing their younger competitors, they’ve still got it.

In boxing, George Foreman famously reclaimed the heavyweight title at the age of 46 in 1994. Facing Michael Moorer, who was 19 years his junior, Foreman delivered a stunning knockout to secure his place in the record books. What made Foreman’s win even more incredible was that it took place 20 years after he’d lost the title!

In athletics, Linford Christie became the oldest Olympic champion in the 100 metres sprint at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 at 32 years, 3 months, and 30 days. Christie’s victory in such a physically explosive event, traditionally dominated by much younger athletes, highlighted the fact that is not impossible to overcome physical stereotypes at the highest level of sport.

Tennis has also seen examples of older champions, with Serena Williams continuing to compete at the highest level into her late 30s. Perhaps the most inspiring story is that of Ken Rosewall, who at 37 years old won the Australian Open in 1972.

These examples from other individual sports show that age can just be a number, and can be mitigated by factors such as experience, strategy, and progress in sports science. For Primoz Roglic, the success of these athletes offers encouragement that a Tour victory remains within reach, even as the years advance. Of course, his countryman Tadej Pogacar probably represents a bigger problem than Roglic’s age right now, but you still can’t right off the four-time Vuelta winner heading in to 2025.