Primoz Roglic surpasses Pogacar and Contador in stunning Grand Tour stat

It’s taken just two stages for Primoz Roglic to pull on the Maglia Rosa. The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe leader came into the Giro d’Italia 2025 as the clear favourite, and he’s wasted no time living up to that billing. Despite the race still unfolding in Albania, Roglic is already at the top of the general classification.

Thanks to a strong performance in Saturday’s time trial, the Slovenian now leads the race overall, taking the pink jersey from Mads Pedersen. While he didn’t win the stage — that honour went to Britain’s Joshua Tarling — Roglic gained 16 valuable seconds on Juan Ayuso, further cementing his status as the man to beat.

But Roglic’s rise to the race lead wasn’t just significant for this Giro — it also marked a major milestone in his career. According to stats shared by La Vuelta Stats on X (formerly Twitter), Roglic has now led a Grand Tour for a total of 61 stages — surpassing both Tadej Pogacar and Alberto Contador, who each have spent 60 days in a leader's jersey during their illustrious careers.

At 35, Roglic continues to add to an already legendary career, now climbing higher on the all-time list of Grand Tour leaders. Still, he has a long way to go to challenge the likes of Miguel Induráin (92 stages), Chris Froome (89), Bernard Hinault (102), or the all-time record holder Eddy Merckx with a staggering 202.

Roglic will already face a test on Sunday, as the third stage presents a real challenge to keeping the pink jersey. A strong breakaway is likely, and Mads Pedersen — eager to reclaim the lead — poses a clear threat. That said, even if Roglic does lose the jersey briefly, all signs point to him taking it back once the race hits the mountains.