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"
CyclingMonday, 04 November 2024 at 18:54
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.
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- Truth be told, if Carapaz doesn't lose four minutes tomorrow he will be the guy that UAE needs to worry about. He's looking better and better.awp19-05-2025
- This is true.awp19-05-2025
- They have no other option when Tadej is racing, but when he's not, it's a free for all.
santiagobenites19-05-2025 - Del Torro was placed in the service of Ayuso during the stage where Ayuso won. It's not like he only worked for himself. What was he supposed to do on stage 9? Due to the dusty road, he thought Ayuso was at the front, but it turned out to be Egan Bernal. Was he supposed to purposely slow down and wait for Ayuso who was further behind and let Egan had a go? So, I'm not sure what's there to puzzle about.
KerisVroom19-05-2025 - They (Ayuso excluded) do perform as a team when Tadej is thereKerisVroom19-05-2025
- There is nothing to be puzzled about. Its everyman for himself at UAE doing their own agendasabstractengineer19-05-2025
- Roglic crashed(out. of his own fault), had a puncture 40+km from the finish. All the big shots up front and they managed to put 1 minute into him. Chasing basically alone. UAE is pathetic without Pogacar, not a team, just a bunch of people riding in same jerseys. I think even Bernal and Carapaz can beat them. I imagine a podium with no UAE rider on it at the endLaszlo19-05-2025
- Let's all just calm down until after the TT tomorrow... If one of them have a bad day, then that's the leadership question solved... If not, then Ayuso will have to explain why IDT needs to work for him when he would not do the same for the world champ last year...DoctorNurse7119-05-2025
- I assume Del Toro will be in pink for a while. Maybe even good for Ayuso that the pressure is off him now for a while. I still think Ayuso is team leader because I do not expect Del Toro to be a serious contender in the high mountainbike. Fun development 😁 I loved the stage also.
DareDevil19-05-2025 - Del Toro got Pink, whats the problem, Ayuso was riding retrograde... #simpleas 👍
leedorney19-05-2025
i think I’M willing to rule out primoz beating pogačar.
Wait wait wait, did Roglic give an interview in which he answered questions honestly and completely? Love it! During the races, the man is a king of the nebulous answer, to the point of hilarity for me. I love the way the guy recovers from loss and rises up. Loses the Tour on the last day? Wins a Monument, a Vuelta, and a gold medal (in TT) in response. Crashes out, Tour after Tour? Wins the Vuelta over and over. Has the worst possible days in Paris-Nice? Comes through or doesn't, but persists. The man is amazing to watch, though I fear for his health sometimes. Really glad to see this attitude in him, to see him focused on himself and his role in the larger team.
What I can't quite figure is why he didn't do Tour de Suisse this year. He only has two holes in his resume, and I thought his transfer to Bora was meant specifically to correct that. Yet he went to the Dauphine, which he had already won, while Adam Yates won TDS. Seems like the wrong choice to me.
Because Denk said "why not win TDS as a Tour de France champion", so Bora was delusional. And I don't think he would he won Suisse last year, his level wasn't high enough at that time
I would say it had something to do with how his crash(es) affected his build-up for the TdF, they probably felt the schedule suited the situation better. Without the Basque crash he might have done TdS instead as warm up for TdF.
Suisse is later than Dauphine, if anything, he would have more time to prepare for the race
I don’t think you got my logic, he was obviously preparing firstly for the TdF and secondarily whichever race he’d use as prep.
They probably chose to do the earlier race to give him enough recovery/transition time b4 TdF seeing as he had to hurry his form building after the not long before accident.
He could have prepared a bit longer to optimise form for TdS but then he might not have been able to hold that form until the last week of TdF because he’d have had too little time to build up gradually (this may not have been considered as important for a younger rider but even at Rogliç’s age, recovery is already slower).
Roglic knows the Tour is an impossible hope but I echo the admiration of his positivity. It's a huge advantage to be able to think and feel that way.
Primoz is the living embodiment of Chumbawumba’s song Tubthumping, people love him for being Primoz Roglic , not for the races he wins.
Seriously, kind of the exact opposite the way the 2 deal with knocks.
Got to love Rog's positive attitude. He's suffered a multitude of setbacks over the years that would've bested a lesser man, including snatching TdF defeat from the jaws of victory and more crashes than I can remember. His performances in Paris-Nice alone have been filled with more dramatic turns than most riders' entire careers.
I'm going to miss him greatly when he retires. He seems to be defying his years for the time being, which I reckon is partly due to his unerring positive mindset. It's also probably a little to do with his late start to the sport; he hasn't burned himself out with too many miles on the odometer.
As for next year's TdF, who knows? It certainly isn't likely. But we know that the status quo never lasts for long in cycling. There'd be a certain poetic justice to Rog holding steady and avoiding chaos unfolding around him for once, unflappable as ever as he dons yellow in Paris.
Nice and honest interview by Roglič but the tour is a long way for him. Even if he is free from crash he didn't cop up with Tadej, the levels are too high. But, trying is the excitement
You never know if it is possible to win races if you are not on the start line hey?😅
Yes, if me and you can get to the start line, we too can beat Pogi!!!
We talking about pro cycling man. The chance of Primoz Roglič to win the tour de france is none. But, there are other ways like when the top two crashes, getting ill, & won't start.
So it is not none, especially as such things happen quite regularly