"I don’t see a Chris Froome 2018-type revival being possible" - Primoz Roglic will need more than a miracle to save this Giro
Cycling
Primoz Roglic simply doesn't seem to have either enough skill or luck at this Giro d'Italia. Three times on the ground and already almost four minutes behind in the GC, it'll take a serious effort for the Slovenian to recover as the race heads finally heads into the high mountains for this year's queen stages.
"For the third time since leaving Durazzo, Albania over two weeks ago Fortuna, the goddess of luck deserted Roglic," Philippa York writes in he Cyclingnews column. "The injury details are vague for the stage 14 pile-up. However, since he had done the left side on the gravel roads and then his right side during the time trial recon, the damage sustained in Slovenia has turned out to be more consequential than the 48 seconds he ultimately lost that day."
In Nova Gorica Roglic wasn't the only GC man to lose a portion of time, but the finishing blow came 24 hours later with the first big mountain stage of this Giro and Monte Grappa on the menu. Surprisingly, it was the Slovenian to let go of the group of favourites in the finale, losing another 90 seconds.
"Despite valiant help from Dani Martínez and Giulio Pellizzari it looks likely now that Red Bull and Roglic’s hopes of a second Giro victory are over," she thinks. "Almost four minutes off the lead, battered and bruised, I don’t see a Chris Froome 2018-type revival being possible."
So far Egan Bernal and Richard Carapaz had been tearing through the GC group on every opportunity given and they certainly won't stop their attacks now that they sensed a prey in the form of Roglic.
"Not with UAE’s collective dominance and certainly not with Carapaz and Bernal’s ruthless intentions. Roglic may have survived if the climbs had been ridden at a steady pace, even a high one but the bursts of speed from the South Americans, Del Toro included, have never really been to his liking."
Eventually, York asks the obvious: should Roglic even finish the Giro at his sorry state. Or maybe lean back for a bit, heal his wounds and then prepare well for his second big goal - the Tour de France.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
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- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
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