"I have never seen another athlete or teammate train so hard" - Tony Martin praises the immense determination of Primoz Roglic

With three Vuelta a Espana victories and a Giro d'Italia under his belt, Primoz Roglic secured a move to BORA - hansgrohe over the off-season in an attempt to boost his hopes of winning the Tour de France.

Although his campaign started rather quietly at Paris-Nice 2024, finishing 10th overall, Roglic's former teammate at Jumbo-Visma, German time-trial legend, Tony Martin believes with the immense determination to improve that the Slovenian possesses, a Maillot Jaune victory later this year at the Tour de France is something that cannot be ruled out.

"He is extremely ambitious and determined. Maybe this mindset even comes from his time as a ski jumper - but he can totally focus on the moment, on the competition and doesn't let anything distract him," Martin says of his former teammate in conversation with Eurosport. "He doesn't need a team meeting or someone to tell him a lot: he looks at the road book and then knows exactly where the crucial points are, where he wants to attack - he actually always has a plan. He demonstrates his great willpower not only in competition, but also in training."

In fact, Roglic's training is the thing Martin believes sets him apart from all others. "I have never seen another athlete or teammate train so hard and with such determination. When he does his intervals on the mountain during the altitude training camp, it's unbelievable," Martin recalls, although as he notes that's not without sacrifice. "He pushes himself to the limit and is extremely hard on himself - and also on his family. Because he invests a lot of time in training camps between races and is only at home a little. This is not always easy in private life."

Behind the grit, determination and hard work though, Martin also saw a lighter side of Roglic. "He is a very fun-loving, positive person. He loves to laugh, share anecdotes and it's easy to talk to him about all sorts of topics - he speaks very good English," Martin reflects warmly.

"In contrast to his competition and training mentality, he is relaxed in private or at the dinner table after the race, drinks a beer in the evening and is very grateful and appreciative of his teammates for their efforts," Martin concludes. "At the end of the season there were also gifts for the helpers provided throughout the year. In that respect, he is really a great captain and I was happy to sacrifice myself for him."