"Primož is not going to ride to Madrid to defend a third place" - Jumbo-Visma not backing down from winning ambitions at Vuelta a Espana
Cycling
Primoz Roglic has won three consecutive editions of the Vuelta a Espana, and he is looking for a fourth, despite the ongoing difficulties in battling against Remco Evenepoel.
“He was clearly the strongest in all three mountain stages. He also has a super strong team, we have seen that in the last few days," Jumbo's DS Grischa Niermann told Algemeen Dagblad. "If Remco can perform at this level for three weeks and he doesn't flinch, it will be difficult to get him out of the jersey. Not just for us, but for everyone.”
The Dutch team have the closest competitor in Roglic, who sits in second place after the race's individual time-trial, however a whole 2:41 minutes behind - mostly after the damage the Belgian inflicted on the opening week's summit finishes. Jumbo has also lost Roglic's right-hand man Sepp Kuss and Edoardo Affini, making it significantly harder to use the team against the race leader.
However Niermann is sure that a lot can still change: “Primož was sometimes minutes ahead of the competition in the Giro and we didn't win then either. There are still two weeks to go and a lot can still happen. Primož has left with the ambition to win and participate. He does. Evenepoel stands out, but Primož is not being ridden home".
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The second week will include again three summit finishes, however these will be significantly longer, a different challenge compared to what the opening week offered. Fatigue will also start to kick in aswell. “So we remain fighting. He won't settle for a podium finish. Primož is here to win the Vuelta".
"Still. You must also have that ambition. I will put that into perspective and say that the podium is also nice, but Primož is not going to ride to Madrid to defend a third place. If you want to win, you have to be willing to lose and take risks. He is ready for that," Niermann concluded.
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.
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- 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
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