"He could barely push 60 watts" - Primoz Roglic's coach shares new information on pre-abandon struggles at Giro d'Italia

Primoz Roglic's hopes of heading to the Tour de France later this summer with a Grand Tour win already under his belt have fallen apart over the last week of racing at the 2025 Giro d'Italia. With a trio of crashes leaving the Slovenian out of the running for the Maglia Rosa, Roglic called it a day on stage 16 and abandoned the race through injury.

After a poor showing on stage 15 left the Slovenian way off the pace heading into the final rest day, there was some discussion if whether or not Roglic would even attempt to start stage 16. The fact that he did so, was down to his Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe teammates according to Roglic's coach, Marc Lamberts. “Out of respect for his teammates, who had done so much for him,” explained Lamberts to Het Nieuwsblad.

The truth was though, that the five-time Grand Tour winner was in no shape to physically compete, even despite an attempted recovery on the rest day. “Primoz was already struggling — he could barely push 60 watts on the rollers,” reveals his coach. “That crash in the gravel stage really took a toll. He landed on the same shoulder he injured last year at the Dauphiné. He also had some large wounds full of debris, which made the recovery especially draining. His quadriceps were hit too, causing him pain with every upward pedal stroke.”

With the Giro d'Italia just the first leg of a Giro / Tour de France double in 2025, the focus is now on bouncing back later this summer. “Mentally, Primoz seems okay,” assesses Lamberts. “We’ve been through worse. Last year — after he abandoned the Tour — he was really in a bad place. This time it’s different. Of course, we’ll check to make sure there are no fractures or serious muscle injuries, but for now, we’re not expecting any.”

“After a week of rest with his family, he should be able to resume his Tour prep with a training camp at altitude in Tignes," he concludes with optimism. "In that sense, he’s actually getting an extra week of rest.”