"For sure it will be a spectacular finish" - Primoz Roglic anticipates brutal Giro d'Italia route
Cycling
The Giro d'Italia will be spectacular, and most likely dramatic. The route is incredibly hard and the Slovenian knows it, and is certain that the final week of the race will deliver a lot of action high in the mountains.
Having trained at altitude at Mount Teide, Roglic frequently saw his own biggest rival Remco Evenepoel throughout the weeks. "We'd see each other in the mornings and then some dinners. But on the road, when we were training, we were 'hiding' from each other, we were each training by ourselves," Roglic said in an interview with Cyclingnews. "We'll see enough of each other over the next three weeks."
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The two have indeed faced this season already, at the Volta a Catalunya, where they finished a tight first and second with the Jumbo-Visma rider taking the win. It was a very important step for both as it was their final race of a big block of preparation. There Roglic won two stages and finished second on another three. The duo were head and shoulders above the competition, mainly when the World Champion attacked the race in it's final days.
Afterwards both took some time off and travelled to Tenerife with their respective teams. "I'm ready. We did everything we wanted here in the camp and we just need to get through the last days before the start and then we are good to go," Roglic reports. "I don't feel, anyway, that this was low intensity, Catalunya was more than intense enough. So we'll just work on having a nice build-up and then I can start the Giro."
He chose not to race between Catalunya and the Giro. This shouldn't come as a big surprise. Although an unusual preparation, the Slovenian has shown on multiple occasions to reach great form without racing - Tirreno-Adriatico being a great example, where he won the GC and three stages after half a year outside of the peloton.
Asked if he had doubts that his preparation was ideal, he responds: "If you start thinking like that, then you'd never start any at all. Risks are always there. But just looking at what I want still to hunt and focus on, we decided on this program, also that this should be my comeback after a while away. So I stand behind the things that we did and now I can patiently wait for the start."
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With the decisive days also starting on stage 13, there is enough time to build-up during the race, and it will be key to arrive as fresh as possible to the final week simultaneously. The final decisive day will be the time-trial up Monte Lussari, where in there is a 4.7 kilometer ascent at 15%, the stuff of nightmare for any cyclist, however a day he's looking forward to as it is very close to the border of Slovenia and it's capital Ljubljana.
"I know the roads from the last time trial the best, though, of course, I've been there, I was skiing there a lot of times because it's super close to Slovenia," he reveals. "But we always went up by gondola, and now we're going down by gondola. This time we'll go up with by bike. The Giro is the closest race to our country too, so from what I know from previous experience, there'll be lots of Slovenian supporters there that day. So it'll be nice to come to that part of the race and do that last TT there."
However despite the brutal second half the race does feature important days. Among them two time-trials that mount to 54 - mostly flat - kilometers against the clock and difficult stages to Lago Laceno, Gran Sasso d'Italia and Fossombrone where gaps may appear. As always, the tension in the first week will also be high in the flat finishes as the GC riders look to stay in front to avoid mishaps.
"There are all sorts of options in this race, but the fact is that stage 1 is a GC day, there will be minutes or seconds or whatever between the guys. Then after that, it's a new day all the way and every day. We won't know who's ahead and who's behind until the end of the race, and for sure it will be a spectacular finish. The hard stages, 18, 19, 20 – every day they're going to be changing the game."
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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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- wtf dudemij07-11-2026
- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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