“I have to keep doing what I’m doing and not give up”: Primoz Roglic refuses to abandon dream of fifth Vuelta victory

Primoz Roglic is entering the final days of the Vuelta a España with a deficit to overcome, but the Slovenian has no intention of accepting that the battle for the red jersey is already over. Sitting 2:10 behind Enric Mas with six stages remaining, Roglic insists that he is exactly where he needs to be and remains determined to give everything he has in the fight for a potential record fifth overall victory.

The position is particularly remarkable given the circumstances surrounding his start to the race. Just days before the Vuelta began, Roglic was still in rehabilitation following a severe training crash in July, leaving serious questions over what level he would be able to reach in Spain.

Instead, the former Vuelta winner has emerged as one of Mas' principal challengers. He admits that he is not yet at his absolute best, but believes the level he has shown in the race may actually be the strongest he has produced throughout the season.

“I would like to be as good as him, but I know how I arrived at La Vuelta and how I approached it,” Roglic told MARCA. “With the rehabilitation and the preparation, I am not at my best, but I am at a good level. I am very happy. It is probably the best level I have had this season.”

The Slovenian's immediate challenge is to close the gap before the final individual time trial becomes the decisive opportunity. “I don't think so. The rivals are going very fast and I am losing time. Every second I can gain before the time trial will be good,” he said. “There's little left and a lot left at the same time.”

Roglic is therefore refusing to become fixated on either Mas or Felix Gall, the other major threat in the battle for the podium. “Nobody, really. I have to do my own race,” Roglic said when asked which rival concerns him most.

“At the end, I don't fight to win that many times. I think they are fighting for their first victories. The situation is different. We'll see what opportunities the race brings us.”

His attitude remains strikingly calm despite the magnitude of what is at stake. Roglic is chasing a fifth Vuelta title, something no rider has achieved before. “I am in a perfect scenario. The place where I am is the right one for me. I accept it, that's how it is,” he said.

“That doesn't mean I'm not going to give my best or that I'm not going to try everything I can. We'll see what that means compared with the others.”

The same philosophy applies to the question of whether he would risk his podium position with an ambitious long-range attack. “If you have the legs, of course, why not? If you don't have them, it's difficult to do something. Even to move. I am optimistic about these stages we have ahead.”

Roglic's determination has not changed despite the gap to Mas. Asked whether he can still imagine wearing the red jersey in Granada, he gave perhaps the clearest indication yet of his mindset. “I have to keep doing what I’m doing and not give up. Day after day I give everything I have. Then the situation and the rivals will tell me where I stand at each moment. I have to keep insisting.”

The withdrawal of Tadej Pogacar has inevitably changed the race. “Yes, for all of us. It probably just means being one position higher, right? If he were here, we would be one position lower.”

Roglic also revealed that he has contacted his compatriot following Pogacar's crash and subsequent withdrawal. “Yes, of course. I wrote to him to wish him a speedy recovery. Hopefully he can be back in the peloton soon.”

What remains uncertain is what comes after the Vuelta. Roglic was repeatedly asked about his future, including speculation linking him with several teams and even a possible return to Visma | Lease a Bike. He refused to engage with any of it.

“First, finish La Vuelta. Let's leave it at that,” he said when asked about his future race programme. “I haven't thought about it, to be honest. I have no idea.”