Primoz Roglic does not rule out beating Tadej Pogacar at 2025 Tour de France "but my palmares will be fine if I don't get it"

Primoz Roglic rode the traditional Saitama Criterium in Japan yesterday and gave several interviews. Among other things, the Slovenian outlined his plans for 2025 and how the mighty task of beating Tadej Pogacar might be taken on.

In conversation with Marca, the record equalling 4 time winner of the Vuelta a Espana is more restrained about announcing his plans for the next campaign. "I don't know yet. Right now I'm in vacation mode here in Japan. I don't want to think too much about the program. There will be time," he explains. "We'll do it in December or during the training camp and we'll let you know. But for sure I won't start at the Tour Down Under, otherwise I'll be late. I won't start for a while, I want to take it easy now."

He is also asked the Tour de France which remains the most notable goal for him in the coming seasons. "I always like to win. I look to next season to try to still improve here and there. I have to do that in some aspects and also try to evolve as a team. I still have challenges that appeal to me. And one of them can be to win the Tour de France," says Roglic. "I have to analyse it. I know that if Tadej Pogacar is there it's difficult. I could say yes, I would like to win it, but also my palmares will be fine if I finally don't get it."

As for Pogacar, Roglic insists that he is the undisputed best in the peloton. "Right now it looks like it is, it's like that. Or at least it's very hard to match. But you never know how it's going to be next year. Maybe he'll be even better. We have no influence on him, I have to look at myself. If I can be the best version of myself, I could go with him and be happy," the Slovenian assesses.

"I like to win, I repeat. The best for me is when I'm in first place and there's no one around. But where we are now is quite clear. There is another one, Pogacar, who is one gear ahead. The only thing we can do is to improve ourselves and then see where we are each," continues Roglic.

Finally, he explains the huge change that his switch from Visma to Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe entailed: "This year things have changed a lot for me. I've changed teams and even the name of the team itself has changed. New people have come in and this is a challenge for me. I come from a Jumbo Visma that won all the big ones in 2023 and now it's different. I'm busy making the team successful in the future. It's partly up to me to accelerate these things and help. Everyone wants the best from us," Roglic concludes.