“I’m 34 not 24" - Primoz Roglic admits feeling of time running out for Tour de France win was key in Visma departure

There's not long to wait now for Primoz Roglic to make his debut in BORA - hansgrohe colours. The main target of his year is no secret. The Slovenian wants to complete his set of Grand Tours with the Maillot Jaune of the Tour de France.

With a blockbuster lineup set for this summer, Roglic is to be joined in the battle for yellow by the likes of Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel among others. “It’s beautiful. I’m just super happy and hopefully, we can all go to the Tour and that’s something that is the best for cycling, the best for the people to watch," Roglic said recently in conversation with Eurosport. "For us, to have the highest level, the best one will win.”

After a glittering eight year spell at Jumbo-Visma where Roglic took almost every possible success available to him, some were surprised that they parted ways this off-season. For Roglic himself however, it's been a long time in coming. “A bunch of new people, everything is completely new around me. New goals, new challenges,” he says. “For me, coming to this team is just because yes, we immediately had a common way or path to work for, and we will try to become the best team.”

“The part that was in my mind for quite some time, at least one year,” Roglic admits of the choice to move teams. “In the end, everything led to leaving and yes, it was quite simple to say from the team and myself ‘That’s it’. We achieved incredible things together, we are all super happy and proud about it, but yes, it’s time for a new challenge. I’m 34 not 24, it keeps you moving and it keeps you happy, that’s the most important thing. For me, I welcome this step and to go this way and the end result will tell us how good it was.”

“Having stronger riders, the whole team is lifting up,” Roglic concludes. “I’m not here to just go and look for myself and to do the best things, but I’m here because I want to lead the team. I want something more from everyone around. Hopefully [the riders] will learn something out of me and we all become stronger.”