Primoz Roglic: "If I had to choose another race to win, it would obviously be the Tour"

Primoz Roglic is heading into a season where a lot of new things await, as Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe is set to have Florian Lipowitz as a new big star and Remco Evenepoel coming into the team. The Slovenian's role is rather undefined but he has ambitions left in his career, and whilst he has the legs to compete at the top level he does not intent to leave.

And this year's Tour, where he realized that even at his best level he wasn't able to contest with the very best or the podium at the Tour, he went on a two-day attack spree in the Alps and then had a magnificent final stage in Montmartre which he enjoyed thoroughly.

“It would be a great way to finish, or at least to conclude a chapter. But, on the other hand, if I’m able to race the Tour, if I’m up to it," Roglic said in an interview with L'Équipe in Japan where he raced the Saitama Criterium. "I’ll want to be there, because it’s the biggest race in the world and it’s pretty cool to be part of it".  

Roglic has won the Giro, and on four occasions the Vuelta a España. But the Tour de France continues to be the Tour de France. “I love the crowds, the support, the goal you set yourself to compete against the best riders in the world, where you can show your determination and who you are. It’s all a wonderful experience.”

“It’s the biggest race in the world, the major goal for everyone,” the veteran added. And he admits that if he had the chance to win one last race in his career, the Tour would still be the one. “Everyone who takes up cycling does so because they’ve seen the Tour de France, not Catalunya. If I had to choose another race to win, it would obviously be the Tour, even though I’ve come close and that’s already great.”

However with the likes of Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard having such a high climbing level, no weak spots and having thrived every single year now for most of the decade, it is simply not realistic for Roglic to be in contention for the win in France - the big win that has escaped him.

“If you look at the bigger picture, every day that passes is one day less in our lives. You can try to slow down time, but it passes. So yes, I try to enjoy it a little more," a more at ease Roglic added. "But if I look back a few years, when I was winning more, that was also a good feeling. Let’s just say that today, it’s a different kind of pleasure.”

But relaxation can't come at a cost of performance for a rider of his reputation, ambition and salary. “I have to be realistic. Last season, I didn’t win much, so first I have to get myself back in a position to win something. Once I’ve done that, it won’t be a problem to choose this or that race. There are loads of them from January to October, and the team isn’t going to say, ‘No, no, you’re staying at home’ when I’m capable of winning".