27/04/2023

Primoz Roglic has eyes on the prize: "The best and most complete rider will win the Giro"

Primoz Roglic has been training in preparation for the Giro d'Italia and quite seriously. With no racing since the Volta a Catalunya his preparation comes specifically from the time he spends on the bike alone and with teammates, but it's all part of a meticulously planned approach to the Corsa Rosa which he aims to win.

“The results speak for themselves. Remco no longer had to prove to me how good and strong he is. The third week of the Giro is extremely difficult, so I couldn't take any risks," Roglic shares in an interview with RTV SLO, also explaining why he didn't take part in La Doyenne. "For Remco, Liège was a home race. He didn't lose much time traveling, while I would have to go up and down."

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Instead focusing on the big plan, Roglic has stayed in Tenerife, where he is still currently training alongside several of his teammates who will join him at the Giro d'Italia. There the likes of Sepp Kuss, Tobias Foss, Jan Tratnik and Koen Bouwman will support him in the mountains, whilst the Tour de France should see Jumbo-Visma take a different block.

However, only having started the season in mid-March as he recovered from a shoulder surgery he underwent in the winter, Roglic's season has been as good as anyone could hope, winning both Tirreno-Adriatico and the Volta a Catalunya, and taking five stage wins among those. “I have seven weeks of altitude training behind me, that should be enough. It is a matter of training, resting and then training again. Now we just have to wait for the start of the Giro."

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His preparation for the Giro was different than that of most contenders, who either opted to race the Tour of the Alps or Liège-Bastogne-Liège. With a very heavy final week the riders will need to be as fresh as possible, eventually with the final time-trial right in the border with Slovenia where many fans are expected to go and support one of their nation's heroes.

“Over the years I have become older and more relaxed. The best and most complete rider will win the Giro. Everyone calls me and Remco [the favourites], but there are many other quality riders. I wouldn't name a third favourite. The focus is on me. We will get the first answers on the first day. It immediately becomes a hunt for seconds.”