“Only a few weeks ago he couldn’t ride... in the last week he’ll really shine” – Primoz Roglic backed for late Vuelta surge by Red Bull - BORA teammate

Primoz Roglic has been backed to reach his strongest level during the final week of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana after beginning his record title bid only weeks after being hit by a car.

The four-time winner reached the first rest day second overall, 1:18 behind Enric Mas. Roglic finished third on the Alto de Aitana and lost 12 seconds to the red jersey, but remained ahead of Felix Gall, Oscar Onley and the other leading contenders.

Finn Fisher-Black believes that position is particularly encouraging given how seriously Roglic’s preparation was disrupted. The New Zealander was present at Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe’s training camp when his leader was struck outside the team hotel.

Roglic had initially been considered doubtful for the Vuelta and arrived without knowing whether his condition would allow him to challenge across three weeks. Fisher-Black now sees a rider rebuilding the fitness lost during his enforced lay-off while remaining firmly inside the fight for red.

“He got hit by this car right outside the hotel and he was genuinely pretty hurt,” Fisher-Black said on the Domestique Hotseat podcast. “His leg was basically all purple. He was struggling to get on the bike, I think he had a week off.”

Roglic’s injuries forced him to alter his Vuelta preparation at a point when the team had expected him to be completing the final work before the race. His participation was eventually confirmed, but neither rider nor team could be certain how his body would respond once the climbing and accumulated fatigue began.

“Since then we were kind of like, we don’t know what to expect,” Fisher-Black explained. “The expectations weren’t anything really. But we always believed he’s going to be in shape, and it was just for him to confirm that.”

The opening nine stages have provided that confirmation. Roglic followed Pogacar, Gall and Onley when the race was blown apart in Andorra, limited his losses on the gravel climb of El Bartolo and remained among the strongest contenders on the Alto de Aitana. He has not yet produced the decisive acceleration associated with his four previous Vuelta victories, but he has reached the rest day without the collapse in form that Red Bull feared after the accident.

Pogacar’s withdrawal on Stage 8 also changed the significance of Roglic’s steady opening week. The Slovenian had appeared to be competing primarily for the podium while Pogacar held an advantage approaching four minutes; he is now only 1:18 away from a record fifth red jersey. “Only a few weeks ago he couldn’t ride, and now he’s building that engine again,” Fisher-Black said. “I think in the last week he’ll really shine.”

That prediction rests upon Roglic effectively using the opening stages to regain racing condition after missing a crucial period of training. Grand Tour fatigue will increase across the peloton, but Fisher-Black expects his leader to benefit from the fitness he is accumulating each day.

The situation is not without risk. A disrupted preparation can also leave a rider short of the resilience required during the third week, and Mas has already shown that he can distance Roglic on a major summit finish. Roglic nevertheless remains the most successful Vuelta rider in the race.

Fisher-Black has also noticed a change in Roglic’s demeanour as the race has progressed. His confidence is not expressed through declarations about winning the Vuelta, but through how relaxed he appears around his teammates.

“You can tell what Roglic you’re going to get today by how chilled out he is, and the more chill he is, the better he performs,” Fisher-Black said. “He’s just happy to be here and happy to be riding with his mates. He’s gaining that confidence that his form is there, and maybe it’s not as bad as he thought it was going to be.”

Roglic begins the second part of the Vuelta behind Mas and with Gall only 21 seconds further back, while Onley trails him by 1:02. His current position offers little margin for a poor day, but it also leaves the four-time champion close enough to turn Fisher-Black’s late-race prediction into a record fifth overall victory.