"He could go to UAE and have his own programme" - Johan Bruyneel believes Primoz Roglic could benefit from surprise move
Cycling
Primoz Roglic is perhaps the biggest name still out on the market at the time being. Whilst several teams have been connected to him, no deal has been agreed on. Johan Bruyneel argues that UAE Team Emirates - XRG could be a good fit for the Slovenian, if he is to continue his career.
Currently signed to Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe but confirmed to be departing for months, Roglic's future remains an open topic. "We've seen all kinds of different reports, rumors," Bruyneel said on The Move podcast. "I think a while ago already, it was talks about him going to Lotto - Intermarché. That hasn't been confirmed nor denied"
"There was speculation of him going to Tudor that has been denied by Tudor. What else is there? We've seen Pinarello Q36.5, I don't know what the latest is there". Spencer Martin added: "I even saw a rumor to the Rockets, which doesn't seem like a great fit".
Several teams, specially outside the World Tour, have made the effort to try and capitalize on what would be a generational signing. But none have seemed to pull it off. "Pinarello - Q36.5 is also not going to happen. Then what else did we see? Maybe Visma returned to Visma that now has also been denied, so these talks probably have happened".
The Dutch team was also a potential destination, but within the space of a week the momentum has seemingly died down, with the lack of an understanding between both sides. Unibet Rose Rockets have also confirmed to have had contact with the Slovenian.
"And then yeah, the Rockets, I don't know... I don't know how they can make that happen. I don't see that a match, but hey, who knows? You know, I think Primoz has decided he wants to race for one more year".
Primoz Roglic's future beyond 2026 is still uncertain
Is there a team with the budget to sign Roglic into 2027?
Another question lies on whether there is a team with budget, going into November, to sign such a high-ranking figure in the cycling world. Due to his past performances, and recent results to end the 2026 season, Roglic has confirmed to still be within the top earners in the field.
"He's not asking for a multi-year contract. From what I understand is also that he has lowered his price considerably. Basically asking for a base salary, which is still quite high, but definitely not even close to what he was making at Red Bull," Bruyneel contined.
"He was making 4 million [euros a year] at Red Bull. So, you know, the question is who can afford this at this time in the year? You know, it's not, no teams have that budgeted, right? So whichever team would be interested, the money has to come from somewhere extra, like out of the budget".
Such a move would not come out of nowhere. In late 2024, the now-called Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team signed Tom Pidcock due to its personal owner Ivan Glasenberg owning the Pinarello bike brand - Pidcock's personal sponsor. From there on, the Swiss team has quickly been building one of the strongest squads in professional cycling. Such a case could happen again.
"Probably a wealthy backer who says 'okay we want him', or a sponsor, a bike sponsor who might say 'okay you know, we want him on the team, we're going to do something extra'. That's the only way that it can happen. There's no team left right now, a normal team, which has all of a sudden two, two and a half million laying around there".
Might Primoz Roglic move to UAE?
The Belgian pundit questioned on whether Roglic could potentially sign with UAE Team Emirates - XRG, if there was mutual interest. Tadej Pogacar's team holds the highest budget in the World Tour, and over the past few years has been known to give opportunities to the grand majority of its riders throughout its extensive calendar.
"He could go to UAE and have his own programme," Bruyneel argued. "I think one of the big blocks is probably Primoz' personal ambition still. And I think he's definitely entitled to have his own ambition if he finds a team that can give him his own chances in certain races. If Primoz goes to the Giro and the Vuelta, he's a candidate, right?"
This fall, Roglic rode to second place at the Vuelta a España, following a year where he hadn't performed on the mountainous races; and with an injury suffered only weeks before the Gran Salida in Monaco.
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"Primoz would probably have a better shot if he says 'I want to do another year, but I have no problem putting myself at the service of a strong leader'," he concluded.
"Then I could actually see him at UAE or even at Visma. Well, I think the fact that he has these personal ambitions, I think makes it a bit more difficult for him to find a big team or a bigger team".
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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