“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
CyclingFriday, 11 September 2026 at 09:30
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Puzzled what mental illness has to be going for stage win. Crashes in the peleton have no link to mental illness just poor judgement riding or not paying attention. Please do not link mental illness to crashes .paultryan200211-09-2026
- I swear to god if Roglič does the same thing to Mas as he did to Thomas at the Giro, I'll fkn laugh my head off. LET HIM HAVE IT, ROGLA... crush him like your compatriot, Pogi The Great, would crush him. Baby Hulk would say "SMASH !!!"PogiSloFans11-09-2026
- I swear to god if Roglic does the same thing to Mas as he did to Thomas at the Giro, I'll fkn cry. LET HIM HAVE ONE, ROGLAwrsty11-09-2026
- It's called "supply and demand". People tend to be paid what they're worth (their discounted marginal value product). Just because he's the greatest cyclist, doesn't mean he would ever get paid what the greatest tennis player would be paid. There is more to the calculation than talent and hard work.acem8211-09-2026
- You’re going to have to come to correct often, CHF is dropping like a Tête de Moine rolling down from Bellelay.Mistermaumau10-09-2026
- So, I see despite my request that not only haven’t you reviewed your figures or commented since someone here did some better maths than you (thanks) but you made zero effort to think about the costs involved in collecting the fines. The original expression stems from written statements and promises that can’t be trusted but in the era of automation it received a second life when people started complaining about receiving bills (in the days when everything was done by post) to pay that didn’t cover the price of the stamp on the envelope let alone the costs of sending the bill, e.g rectification bills or utility bills for unoccupied lodgings. The minimum monthly salary in the poorest part of Switzerland is over 4000€ which sets employers back close to 6000€. UCI employees are unlikely to be on minimum salary, being sent abroad is likely to be associated with higher wages but also expenses to pay (travel & lodgings (different location every day), food & drink & a stipend) plus unseen expenses like insurance, min 4000km worth of fuel, etc. Then you forget office, admin & personnel costs, costs of enforcement and collection, accounting, bank fees, etc. run a company a while and see how money leaks out invisibly non-stop. Once there, a commissaire needs a vehicle, and a driver (can’t drive and officiate or write notes simultaneously) Up to stage 18 they fined 12400CHF, 3 stages left. EVEN if they sent only ONE commissaire, they’re not breaking even at this rate. With just 2, they’re losing. Of course by your calculation of raking in over 60k, yeah you could call it that way but you could also just write a fiction in your snazzy UCI office about a golden egg laying goose and earn far more from selling that than doing this, if it didn’t infringe copyright. Now, there is a possibility that these people aren’t even UCi employees but just officials paid fir missions. The going rate for that is 250CHF/day. Add 100 for hotel and 100 for expenses and you’re billing 450 a day for 30 days almost without the other necessary costs, same result.Mistermaumau10-09-2026
- Thought you you retired cuz your golden boy is out for the year? Dang now we get more of your nonsense for free!frieders310-09-2026
- Oh boy, still here? Here’s an idea, donate 1 Euro to each team for every post you’re making since your supposed retirement here. If that’s not enough, they can sell autographs or auction off their paraphernalia. I think compared to similar sports (swimming, triathlon, running) they do pretty well these days. They probably also earn better than rugby or cricket. Did you see what people were prepared to pay for the WC, Superbowl or Tennis finals? Where will cycling rake in that kind of money without Infantinotising its soul? LIV has applied for bankruptcy, Michael Johnson’s reputation has taken a big hit, the enhanced games won’t be enhancing much more, Saudi laundromoney is drying up, bike sales are plummeting, it’s not the best time to be asking for pay rises. Besides, there are plenty of others willing to take any freed up places for lower wages and it’s rare to get offered much better for the same performance by switching employer (perhaps because employers got burnt a few times in the past). And now excuse me, I have to go take care of this golden goose crapMistermaumau10-09-2026
- From none to 2 stage wins in a Grand Tour. Chapeau, Tudor. Maybe it'll be more by the end
Rafionain-Glas10-09-2026 - Chapeau to Mas for an amazing ride! Yes, if Pog were here he’d be ahead by 20 minutes now, but he’s not.Crashjames10-09-2026
Loading
Write a comment