Jumbo-Visma DS: "Primoz is very confident that he can still beat guys like Evenepoel, Pogacar and Vingegaard"

Primoz Roglic has recently confirmed that he will be aiming towards the Giro d'Italia in 2023, as the Slovenian looks to return to a sole leadership position, whilst Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert return to the Tour de France in search of reconsolidating their glory.

“He's still in rehab. Primoz is progressing, training well and has already been able to put in a lot of hours during the training camp in the past two weeks," team DS Merijn Zeeman said in an interview with In de Leiderstrui.

“He is ahead of schedule that we had in mind and is making rapid progress. The shoulder needs time and so he is not allowed to race yet, but he can work his hours in the gym and on the bike. It is now about training, training, training. In February he will join us for a training camp and then we expect that he can start in [Volta a] Catalunya at the end of March," he continued.

Following many injuries to his right shoulder, alongside several crashes this season, Roglic decided to undergo a surgery to improve his chances of not going from dislocations again. That has seen him in total three months off the bike, but he's been recently given the green light to return to training. It was unsure where he would be focusing, but the Corsa Rosa it is, as said in the team presentation.

“In the Giro there is an incredibly tough course, with everything in it: time trials, explosive finishes, long climbs at altitude, an incredibly tough third week. It's up to us to get Primoz back to Remco's time trial level, Evenepoel is now one step ahead of us," he continued. The two were very evenly matched this season at the Vuelta a Espana where they entered the final week in first and second place, before Roglic abandoned due to a dramatic crash at the end of stage 16.

The race will consist of 70 kilometers of time-trialing and an incredibly hard and mountainou final week. “And then comes that last week, for which you need very specific qualities. Primoz is a favourite, Remco is a favourite, Geraint Thomas is a favourite, and some men will come around to make it very difficult for them," Zeeman added.

“Primoz is very confident that he can still beat guys like Evenepoel, [Tadej] Pogacar and [Jonas] Vingegaard at his age and so are we. He was still Olympic time-trial champion in 2021, wasn't he? That was not so long ago. Will he still be able to win the Tour in the future? Yes, I think so," he says, standing by his rider, a three-time Vuelta a Espana winner and one of the most prolific stage-racers in modern cycling.

Although the Dutch team will primarily have it's focus on the Tour, Roglic will still have strong support in Italy. “If you want to win a Grand Tour, you have to start with a very strong team. We need guys like that to go for the overall win and we have hope that Wilco can really go with the best, to be with Primoz that much."

Time-trial World Champion Tobias Foss is set to ride the Giro in support of Roglic, as are new signings Wilco Kelderman and Jan Tratnik. Rumours emerge over the possible presence of Koen Bouwman, Robert Gesink, Edoardo Affini and neo-pro Michel Hessmann. For many, a luxurious support crew, however one that is likely to change until May.

“There are of course scenarios that something happens and you have to switch and that is also a quality of ours. However, Wilco and Tobias are there for Primoz and to win the pink jersey with him," he concluded.