"It is how it is" - Roglic rides into second place at Vuelta time-trial but fails to control Evenepoel's GC surge
Cycling
Primoz Roglic rode at the expected level of the Vuelta a Espana, putting in a very strong ride to finish in second place and put time into many of his main competitors. However he has found competition in Remco Evenepoel, who has equally dealt a blow on the Jumbo-Visma rider.
“I am happy about it. I think I can I did a good time trial. It’s a nice result, and a big congrats to Remco. He’s on a different level at the moment," Roglic said in a post-race interview. “Every year, sooner or later you lose. If you’re not here, you’re not going to lose. Definitely, he is flying at the moment. We will see. It’s a long race. For myself, I feel proud about my ride today. It was quite fast today. At least I didn’t take one hour to cover this. It is how it is. I am happy about today’s result.”
The high speeds found on the Alicante time-trial didn't favour the GC riders, but they went on to finish first and second on the day. Roglic rode over the line to beat the long-standing time of Rémi Cavagna, but had very little time in the hot seat as Evenepoel raced down the coastal city's avenue 48 seconds earlier than Roglic had hoped for.
Despite taking over a minute on Enric Mas and going through the Spaniard in the overall classification, his time loss to the Belgian will have give the Slovenian mixed feelings. He now sits 2:41 minutes behind the lead, a closeable gap, but one that is increasingly larger.
“We will see day by day. The moment is to stay healthy and avoid the problems and stay in one piece. And searching for the opportunities that will come," Roglic added. “I would be happier if he wasn’t going so well. He didn’t need to show that he can go so good. He’s already won a lot of big races. He’s showed how strong he is, and he’s showing it here at the moment," he said of his rival.
“We will see. We just are enjoying today’s performance, and we will look at it day by day, because there are still 11 stages to come," the Slovenian concluded. Tomorrow's 11th stage should be a calmer day for the GC riders, but on stage 12 they will be back on the charge with a very difficult summit finish at Peñas Blancas.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
- I think Roglic could have beaten Sepp. not Jonas. I was referring to Sepp.mij15-11-2026
- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
Loading
🇪🇸 #LaVuelta22 Second place in this ITT for our fighter. ⚔️ He also moves up to second place in GC. We are proud of you, Primoz. 🙌🏼
Write a comment