“I don’t think we should tell Primoz ‘just ride for second place now'" - Red Bull and Roglic left it all out at Vuelta time trial
Cycling
Primoz Roglic admits that although he's happy with his Vuelta a Espana time trial, he was impressed by Enric Mas's showing against the clock. With stage 18's 32 kilometer time trial expected to provide Roglic with a chance to reduce his deficit on Mas, it didn't quite go to plan for the Slovenian.
Things didn't work out not in the sense that the Red Bull rider disappointed, but rather that the Movistar red jersey put in an excellent display. Roglic managed to pull back 33 seconds on Mas, but fell short of what he needed to take the lead as he now sits 1:37 behind him in second overall.
“From the start, good, and then more and more to the finish, more and more tired,” Roglič told Eurosport.
“But looking at how I ran into this Vuelta, like I said, with zero hours or minutes on the TT bike at all, I delivered for myself a nice time trial today. So definitely super happy about it.”
Roglic on taking risks and GC battle
Was Roglic risking it all in the technical sections? Not really, he admits. A four-time winner of the race, the Slovenian veteran had no problem admitting Mas's strength since gaining the red jersey as he tries to pick his moments in the upcoming stages.
“Not really. Otherwise, probably I would also do a bit faster these last roundabouts or these corners here.”
“On the places where I can, definitely we try to do our best. For the moment, Enric has showed a really incredible time trial, and all I can do is just congrats, give him a hand."
Primoz Roglic ahead of Stage 15 at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana
Roglic insists that he's not paying attention to the general classification specifics or permutations, but rather focuses on the positives as he grows into the Vuelta, nodding to the fact that he arrived at the race with little ambition after suffering a training crash last month.
“It doesn’t help me more or less. Like I said, I put everything on the road. Sometimes you are a bit more in front, sometimes a bit more in the back.”
“At the end, I can be happy to gain a bit and not lose, like most of the Vuelta.”
From a Red Bull perspective, sports director Sven Vanthourenhout admitted that a time trial doesn't lie and that while their leader put in a good dig - there's nothing you can do about another rider's time against the clock as he also boasts a big gap heading into the final three days.
Red Bull won't give up red jersey chase
“I think Primoz actually rode a very good time trial,” Vanthourenhout told Het Nieuwsblad. “He didn’t leave anything out there, so we have to conclude that Mas is in super good shape. A time trial like this doesn’t lie.”
“If you look at the standings, he is now at 1:37. That is not impossible, but it remains a considerable gap when you see how strong Mas has already been uphill.”
Red Bull won't give up the ghost, however. With two gruelling tests on both Friday and Saturday's Vuelta finale, there'll even be a punchy stage on Sunday to finish the race. The team insists their rider won't be accepting a second place finish, and it's up to them to formulate a new plan.
“So it is up to us to go back to the drawing board and see what we can still do. Now it is up to us to really take the initiative and try to create a situation somewhere."
“I don’t think we should tell Primoz ‘just ride for second place now.’ That is not why he came here and that is not the rider he is. So we definitely want to get the maximum out of it.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- What wins? Are you LA operating under a pseudonym?mij13-11-2026
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- No surprise there; it is British Sycling, yes, with an S
Rafionain-Glas12-11-2026 - I like Del Toro but he's not on the level of Jonas, by a large margin.awp12-11-2026
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