"I don't get it for Red Bull and Roglic" - Geraint Thomas questions Primoz Roglic's plans to beat Pogacar and Vingegaard

On his podcast, Geraint Thomas has openly questioned Primoz Roglic’s decision to focus on the Giro d'Italia in 2025 rather than fully committing to the Tour de France, suggesting that it indicates a lack of belief in winning cycling’s biggest race. He also discussed whether the likes of Roglic and other top riders are simply accepting defeat to the might of Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard.

"I think it's strange that Primoz Roglic is doing the Giro d'Italia, it gives me the feeling that they don't believe in winning the Tour," Thomas remarked. "He left Team Visma | Lease a Bike to do the Tour de France and he already won the Giro two years ago (he beat Thomas during that race). I think it's a strange choice, especially from Roglic."

Thomas’s comments reflect the general expectation that Roglic, after securing a high-profile transfer to Red Bull – BORA - hansgrohe, would make the Tour de France his priority. Given that his move was largely seen as an effort to step out of Jonas Vingegaard’s shadow at Visma, some would argue that targeting the Giro suggests a more conservative approach than anticipated.

Of course, Roglic has something of a cursed relationship with the Tour. And that didn’t end by leaving Visma, as he crashed out of the race for the yellow jersey once again last July.

Laurens De Plus offered a different perspective, defending Roglic’s decision. "They got Roglic for a lot of money and to justify that salary, they play it safe. In the Tour you might be able to get on the podium, but maybe the team wants to see something back from the investment by ticking off the Giro. Maybe that's the smart choice?"

De Plus presents a financial and strategic angle: securing a Grand Tour victory early in the season could be seen as a guarantee of success, rather than taking a risk in a Tour de France dominated by Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. From Red Bull – BORA - hansgrohe’s perspective, having Roglic win the Giro d'Italia ensures their major signing delivers results rather than risking a less certain podium place in France.

However, Thomas was unimpressed with that opinion, responding, "Yeah, so? Should we just not participate at all? Let's let Tadej and Jonas ride a lap around France together? Is that how it's going to be from now on: everyone does the races that Pog and Jonas don't do?"

That’s not to say that Roglic has been a bad signing either. Remember, he recovered from his crash at the Tour to win the Vuelta for a fourth time last September.

Thomas’s frustration highlights the growing debate about how teams approach race calendars in an era dominated by two generational talents. If teams begin to structure their entire strategies around avoiding Pogacar and Vingegaard, it raises concerns about whether the Tour de France will become increasingly predictable.

Remco Evenepoel may be listening in to this and thinking, hang on a minute, has everyone forgotten about me? No, he is yet to have shown he can beat either of Pogacar or Vingegaard, but he showed last July that he is by far the closest rider to make the big two, a big three. And the sport would be in a superb position if Remco could bridge the gap further.

De Plus, however, laughed off Thomas’s comments and countered with INEOS’s past strategy: "If you want to win, maybe you should go for a different race. That's what we did at INEOS two years ago, right? Then we went to the Giro with our best guys, because that was where we had the best chance of winning."

INEOS’s decision to prioritise the Giro over the Tour in recent years has been a pragmatic one, but a far cry from their relentless winning of the 2010s. With their dominance in France waning after the rise of Vingegaard and Pogacar, they have looked elsewhere for Grand Tour success. It is an approach that worked well when Thomas himself finished second at the 2023 Giro, the closest the team has come to winning a grand tour since Egan Bernal’s victory in 2021.

Thomas, though, ultimately understands the logic behind the move but remains perplexed by Red Bull – BORA - hansgrohe’s reasoning. "You have a point, I understand it too," he admitted before adding, "I don't get it for Red Bull and Roglic. They have invested so much money in the desire to win the Tour, so do everything for it. You are not going to win anyway if you don't start there at one hundred percent."

His comments reflect a broader philosophy: if Roglic’s goal is truly to win the Tour, then every aspect of his preparation should be directed towards achieving that goal, rather than splitting focus on the Giro. Thomas points out that while Roglic’s choice may be more practical in the short term, it could ultimately undermine the very reason he moved teams in the first place.

"Anything can happen in a cycling race. Of course, it is insane what Pogacar and Vingegaard are showing these days, but that does not mean you should give up. You are more likely to win in races where they are not, but yes."

Thomas acknowledges the reality of the current cycling landscape (Pogacar and Vingegaard are on another level) but he still believes that riders should not resign themselves to avoiding the Tour entirely. While the decision to prioritise the Giro d'Italia might make sense from a team perspective, it raises questions about whether Roglic truly believes he can challenge for the yellow jersey in Paris.

After all, Roglic is now 35. If Remco Evenepoel was ‘ducking’ or avoiding races against the top two, there would be more cause for concern. Regardless of what his team might say, you have to think that Roglic is past his best now and it would take something out of the ordinary for him to win the Tour.

Roglic is still an all-time great rider, and he will of course be going to the Tour this summer as well as the Giro. But in what capacity?