“I clearly didn’t have the legs" - Primoz Roglic suffering from bad back but survives first show of weakness at 2024 Vuelta a Espana
Cycling
After his brilliant stage win on Saturday afternoon, many expected Primoz Roglic to put in a similar performance on Sunday's stage 9 at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana. That wasn't quite how things turned out for the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe leader however.
“I clearly didn’t have the legs," admits the Slovenian in his post-stage interview having seen Enric Mas ride away on the final climb (although things regrouped on the descent) and lost time to Adam Yates, Richard Carapaz and even lost 4 seconds Ben O'Connor in the finale.
Roglic does at least, seem to understand the reason for his relative weakness. "I had back pain,” he admits honestly. “It was also still warm, really tough. But we’ll see how that goes. I suffered. The stage was very difficult, but luckily it’s over and tomorrow we have a rest day.”
"I don't know. I don't know the differences yet, so it's difficult to talk about that now," continued Roglic. "I want to cool down first and have a drink."
Well, now the dust has settled, things haven't actually turned out to badly for the three-time Vuelta a Espana winner. Still 2nd overall, Roglic is now 4 seconds further behind O'Connor, but other than that, the likes of Yates and Carapaz remain behind him in the general classification.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
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🇪🇸 #LaVuelta24 After a hot day in the saddle we’ve reached Granada 🥵 Primož and Florian finished together, with Primož retaining second in GC and Florian moving back into the white jersey.
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