Primoz Roglic confirms he will not race between May and August - "I would like to spend some time with my family"

Back when Remco Evenepoel was announced at Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe and Florian Lipowitz took the step of finishing on the Tour de France podium, there were lots of questions on what Primoz Roglic's role and goals would be. The Slovenian has cleared up the situation a little better at Tirreno-Adriatico.

The Slovenian battled for the Giro d'Italia last year, but an illness saw him abandon the race without discovering where his current form can take him in the Grand Tours. At the Tour de France, he finished eighth in the overall classification, although he was to finish fifth, Roglic, when on an all-day raid on the final competitive day and then lost an immense amount of time.

Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz both declared their intention to race the Tour de France, whilst Giulio Pellizzari and Jai Hindley, fresh off a successful Vuelta a España, were designated for the Giro d'Italia. Roglic in the middle of all this, was designated as the leader for La Vuelta, where he has the chance to break the victory record if he takes another overall title.

But his schedule looked incomplete, with some racing in March and April, and then a long break until August, when he will start the Grand Tour, potentially another preparation race. Many hoped he would start the Tour de Suisse, the only top World Tour stage-race he doesn't have in his palmarès as of yet.

But this will not happen, and in fact, Roglic isn't having any racing in that period as a deliberate choice. He has been given the freedom not to race during the summer, ending his campaign at the Tour de Romandie in late April and then only returning to action in August.

“I decided that, albeit in consultation with other people within the team. We have coordinated the various programs, this is okay," he said to Peloton. Ultimately, it is a calendar choice that is extremely rare in a top rider to skip racing altogether during a packed three-month period, but is the advantage the Slovenian received from the German team's additions.

"I would like to be home for a while. I haven't been home for quite some time. I would like to spend some time with my family. I still have a lot of motivation and enjoyment in cycling,”

Roglic's three-month sabbatical is a luxury afforded only by the immense depth of the 2026 Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe roster. In previous years at Jumbo-Visma, Roglic was often a required 'Plan B' for the Tour de France. Now, with Evenepoel as the out-and-out leader and Lipowitz as a proven podium threat, the team can allow Roglic to follow a 'veteran's schedule.' This period of rest could be the secret weapon that allows him to arrive at the Vuelta with a freshness that younger rivals, who battered themselves in the July heat, simply won't have.

Furthermore, by stepping away from the mid-summer spotlight, he avoids the physical and mental drain of a high-pressure Tour campaign, potentially extending his career at the highest level. If this gamble pays off with a historic fifth red jersey in Madrid, it may redefine how veteran superstars manage their twilight years in an increasingly crowded UCI calendar.