“Fighting for survival” – Primoz Roglic admits he is suffering ahead of brutal Giro stage 16

After a disastrous stage 15 at the 2025 Giro d’Italia, Primoz Roglic rolled up to the start of stage 16 looking bruised, physically and mentally. The Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe leader cracked hard on Monte Grappa, losing 90 seconds to his main GC rivals and dropping to 10th overall, nearly four minutes down on the maglia rosa, Isaac del Toro.

With the final week of the Giro kicking off today, and a punishing stage to San Valentino on the horizon, 203 kilometres with five categorised climbs and a brutal 17 kilometre finishing ascent, Roglic’s ambitions have shifted dramatically. A second Giro title now seems out of reach.

Before the start, he spoke briefly to Cycling Pro Net, and made no effort to sugar-coat the situation.

Asked how he spent his rest day and whether he’d recovered, Roglic admitted: “Yeah, for sure. Definitely better than yesterday… I mean what that means, we will see, because I would need a couple of hundreds percent to be better to be good.”

He knows exactly how tough stage 16 will be, and that it’s not ideal terrain for damage control. “We just see, rain, hard day. Not the best day to give a try with this round.”

Still, despite the physical setbacks and the weather, he’s not giving up completely, “I mean yeah, I don't really care what it is or how it is. But like I said, I will just give it a try. I mean, if I can see that I can do it, I will. Otherwise, every kilometre that I will do will be something.”

It’s a sobering shift in tone from a rider who came to Italy as the firm favourite. Now, even he concedes that the fight for pink is likely over, “I don't really think it's realistic anymore to do the GC,” Roglič admitted. “I'm obviously fighting for survival. Like I said, I will today do… I’m still came to the start. I mean, I couldn't even ride the bike yesterday. So yeah, just see if I can ride the bike today.”

The effects of three crashes in the past week have clearly taken their toll. Stage 15 exposed just how compromised he is, and he now faces a mountainous final week with uncertain legs and no illusions.

Asked whether teammate Giulio Pellizzari could be given some freedom to attack, Roglic was fully supportive, “For sure,” he said. “He showed definitely that he has the legs. So for sure.”

It’s a telling moment in the race: the veteran admitting his own limitations while backing a younger teammate to chase opportunities. For Roglic, the Giro d’Italia 2025 is now about endurance and damage control, not glory.