Jumbo-Visma are under an unexpected storm, that of a pandemic that seemed to be leaving the peloton. The Dutch team are currently suffering an outbreak that has already took out three riders from the Giro d'Italia before it began, and it's a bad start for a team who's looking to take the overall win.
"Of course it's not fun. We have all been on Teide in recent weeks to forge a close-knit collective, and then a few riders drop out with corona," Roglic said in a press conference this morning. "We just have to deal with this. We're going to do it with the guys who are here now. I trust them completely. Our mission certainly remains the same: to win the Giro d'Italia. Cycling remains a grande casino, so anything is possible.”
Click
here to create
your own team for the Fantasy Giro d'Italia. At least 21,875 USD/20,000
Euro/17,615 GBP in prizes!
Gino Mäder of Bahrain - Victorious has also been pulled out of the Giro this morning, but Jumbo has disproportionally been affected by it. Tobias Foss, Robert Gesink and Jos van Emden are all sidelined because of it. Sepp Kuss and Jan Tratnik remain as the main support for the Slovenian but none are safe and for the upcoming week every single day will be stressful in the team camp.
“Corona is part of it. The only thing we can do is be even more concerned with corona and hope that it will all work out. We are considering re-using the corona protocol from a few years ago," he said.
However Roglic is focused on the race, which is what he can control best. Covid has become the main topic around the team but if he pulls out safely he should be in the fight for pink against Remco Evenepoel and a strong contingent of climbers. Experience will be valuable in a race as tough as this and he, who last raced in the Corsa Rosa in 2019, hopes to be in a higher level than what earned him a third place in that year.
“The older the better, heh. The older you are, the more experience you have and the wiser you become. We will see what it is worth in the coming weeks. You won't get any better at this age, but the experience does make everything easier. Remco is in super good shape, so it will be a big fight, I think," he concluded.
Read also
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
- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
Loading
Win a two-day cycling adventure in @SloveniaInfo!🇸🇮 Ever wondered what cycling in the homeland of Primoz and Jan looks like? You now have the chance to win a holiday in Slovenia. #ifeelsLOVEnia Enter here 👇
Write a comment