“People say that Primoz Roglic can no longer deliver results and that he is old...” - Slovenian icon defends Red Bull leader amid 2026 criticism

Primoz Roglic’s place at the top of the peloton has come under fresh scrutiny in 2026, but Bogdan Fink believes the doubts around the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe leader are being pushed too far.

Fink is not an outside observer of Slovenian cycling’s rise. A former professional rider, long-time race organiser and one of the key figures behind the country’s modern cycling structure, he has watched Slovenia grow from a smaller cycling nation into one of the most influential forces in the men’s peloton.

Roglic has had a quiet season by his own standards, with no victory so far and no planned place in Red Bull’s Tour de France leadership group as Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz take centre stage for July. His Tour de Romandie performance also drew criticism, with questions raised over both his level and his tactical role inside the team.

Fink still sees one of the defining riders of Slovenian cycling’s modern boom, and does not accept the idea that the 36-year-old has slipped out of contention for the sport’s biggest prizes.

“People say that he can no longer deliver results and that he is old, but last year, for example, he won the Volta a Catalunya,” Fink said in conversation with Siol. “Last year he was in contention for the podium at the Tour de France, but he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. At that moment, the whole Red Bull team did not make a good tactical move. Primoz is always there and he is always a candidate for the highest places.”

Roglic’s 2026 programme has sharpened the debate. Rather than building his season around another Tour de France bid, the Slovenian is expected to target the Vuelta a Espana, where he is already a four-time winner and could move clear as the most successful rider in the race’s history.

Red Bull’s Grand Tour structure has also changed around him. Evenepoel, Lipowitz and Jai Hindley now give the team several leadership options, while Roglic is no longer being treated as the automatic centrepiece of every major objective.

Fink still sees a rider capable of fighting at the sharp end. “Let’s leave aside for now the fact that Pogacar and Vingegaard are there in three-week races, but Primoz is still excellent and a contender for the very top places,” he said.

Roglic’s spring has not produced the type of immediate winning statement that once became almost routine, while his Romandie ride prompted visible frustration from some analysts. The question around him is now less about his palmares and more about how much of his old ceiling remains. Fink’s answer is firm: enough to keep him relevant at the very top.

Fink also places Roglic’s impact on Slovenian cycling beyond his results. Tadej Pogacar has previously spoken about Roglic helping him believe that a Slovenian rider could win a Grand Tour, and Fink sees that shift across the country’s golden generation. “He certainly deserves great credit for what we are witnessing,” Fink said. “For me, he was one of the first to perfect what is happening now.”

Fink pointed in particular to Roglic’s approach to altitude training, arguing that he helped normalise a model now widely copied by the best riders in the peloton.

“He perfected the system of altitude training,” Fink explained. “Previously, riders usually needed a race in between to get back into racing rhythm with their coaching staff. In my opinion, he was the first to perfect that down to the smallest detail. Now others are copying him. Straight from altitude training to a race, immediately at full gas, and winning already on the first stage. For me, that was a leap forward, and I think most people are now copying it.”

Roglic’s legacy already includes the Giro d’Italia, four Vueltas, Olympic time trial gold and a long list of one-week stage race victories. In Fink’s view, it also runs through the preparation methods, confidence and expectations now associated with Slovenia’s leading riders.

Officially, Roglic is not expected to race the Tour de France this summer. Evenepoel’s arrival and Lipowitz’s continued rise have changed Red Bull’s internal balance, while Roglic’s clearest path to another historic Grand Tour result appears to lead toward Spain.

Fink does not completely rule out a late twist. Asked whether Roglic could yet be seen on French roads this year, he replied: “I do not know what his programme is, but I am quite convinced that we will.”

That remains an opinion rather than confirmation of any Red Bull selection plan. Still, Roglic’s name continues to hover around the Tour conversation even as Red Bull’s published direction points elsewhere.

For now, the criticism around Roglic has made Fink’s defence more pointed. The results may be quieter, the role may be different, and Red Bull’s hierarchy may have shifted, but one of Slovenian cycling’s central figures is not ready to treat Roglic as a rider in decline.