"It feels like they stick a knife in my back" - Primoz Roglic bounces back and shows good signs despite lingering pain

Primoz Roglic had a tough crash on the fifth stage where he dislocated his shoulder. To many that would've been the end of the GC ambitions, however the Jumbo-Visma rider has clear goals of thriving in this Tour de France and today he's shown to be at a high level despite the pain.

“It was a nice fight. I am very happy to have finished one again," he told NOS after the gruelling steep summit finish at Planche des Belles Filles. He crossed the line in third place, 12 seconds behind Tadej Pogacar and his teammate Jonas Vingegaard who sprinted it out for the stage win and equally sit first and second in the GC.

He's still suffering the effects from the crash, as he describes: "You have to imagine, it feels like they stick a knife in my back with every kick. The main goal is to go for stages and then I have to try to recover well.”

"I am very happy. If you're injured, you don't know what to expect in the coming days. For now, we're looking at it day by day and I'm trying to get through it, and recover for the next few days," he added. Tomorrow's stage to Lausanne should allow Roglic to have another calmer day before reaching the Alps. 

“It was steep, wasn't it? I found it very hard to get to the top in the last 200 meters," Roglic concluded in his traditional tone. He climbed up the ranks into 13th place in the overall classification, 2:45 minutes behind his compatriot.