“Quite crazy... I couldn’t imagine even to ride a bike” - Primoz Roglic enters first Vuelta mountain test within 26 seconds of Tadej Pogacar despite nightmare build-up
CyclingTuesday, 25 August 2026 at 16:00
Barely a month after a collision with a car left Primoz Roglic struggling even to ride his bike, the four-time Vuelta a Espana winner is already back inside the top 10 of a Grand Tour.
He heads into the first proper mountain test of the 2026 race sitting ninth overall and only 26 seconds behind Tadej Pogacar.
A 9.4-kilometre time trial in Monaco and a reduced sprint into Manosque have provided little evidence of Roglic's climbing condition, while Monday's planned first summit finish at Font Romeu was completely cancelled because of extreme weather.
Even so, Roglic admits he did not expect to arrive in Andorra in this position. “Quite crazy, I didn't imagine before the start to already be in this kind of position,” he told Domestique. “But on the other hand, it was not really mountains, so we will see today how I will react and how I will do in the mountains.”
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From 50-50 start doubt to ninth overall
Roglic's build-up to a potential record fifth Vuelta victory was turned upside down when he was struck by a car during a training ride in late July. The Slovenian was left with significant bruising and a large haematoma on his right leg, forcing him out of both the Clasica San Sebastian and Vuelta a Burgos.
Those races had been intended to provide his final competitive preparation before Monaco, but the focus quickly shifted from sharpening his form to whether he would make the start at all. His chances of lining up at the Vuelta were subsequently rated at just 50-50.
Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe eventually named Roglic in their eight-man squad, but made stage victories the team's initial priority while his general classification prospects would be assessed as the race developed. Roglic himself was still measuring progress against a much lower bar. “Like I told a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't imagine even to ride a bike, so now I'm here and I'm here to do my best,” he said.
Roglic conceded 22 seconds to Pogacar in the opening Monaco time trial before finishing with the main contenders on stage 2. Pogacar's four bonus seconds for finishing third in Manosque stretched the difference between the two Slovenians to 26 seconds, but neither day provided the sustained climbing that will determine whether Roglic's disrupted preparation has left a deeper mark.
Monday was supposed to provide that first comparison at Font Romeu, only for a severe hailstorm to bring stage 3 to a halt before the finish. The stage was cancelled entirely, with no result or classification changes carried forward.
Primoz Roglic at the 2026 Vuelta a España
Andorra puts Roglic's recovery to the test
Stage 4 packs more than 3,000 metres of climbing into just 104.8 kilometres around Andorra la Vella. The Port d'Envalira begins almost immediately, followed later by the Collada de Beixalis and Col de Ordino before the late Alto de La Comella and descent to the finish.
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After weeks in which rehabilitation replaced much of his planned racing preparation, Roglic will finally face the kind of terrain capable of showing where he stands against Pogacar and the other overall contenders. He at least welcomed the return of better weather after Monday's hailstorm. “I'm just happy, it's a nice day, you know, everyone has a lot nicer weather compared to yesterday, so we will see how we finish and we go on.”
The stage itself promises a far less comfortable afternoon. “A lot of suffering, but it will be a short stage, full gas until the finish,” Roglic predicted.
Roglic shares the all-time Vuelta record of four overall victories with Roberto Heras. A fifth would put him clear on his own, but the opening days have done little more than preserve that possibility. Andorra will offer the first meaningful indication of whether his recovery has progressed far enough to turn an unexpected place in the top 10 into a genuine record-breaking challenge.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Personally? We're over seeing this guy at the top EVERY freaking time {Lance Armstrong double?}. BORING!! PLEASE 🙏, give us some NEW hopefuls to get behind!!!f9ers5525-08-2026
- Pretty amazing since the race was in Monaco.zaz25-08-2026
- Wonder who is on the list of the best riders ever that are not proven dopers...Staal25-08-2026
- People win GTs by 2 mins which is considered a comfortable margin, Pogi is taking 3 mins in a stage, same like the TDF, GC over in a single stage. Now in training mode for the WCabstractengineer25-08-2026
- You can think whatever you want to and only Pogi knows what is important to him. But until someone else wins 7 or more Tours Armstrong still holds the title for the most. It doesn't matter if he was stripped of them for doping he still won them and against other people that were doping. And the UCI knows it that is why they didn't just give the titles to the second place finisher.Hc222825-08-2026
- And your tomorrow has become today, and yes, at this moment Pogi is 3:12 up on everyone.PogiSloFans25-08-2026
- Now you’re Slovenian????Jumpyjohn25-08-2026
- Are you guys watching Pogi's masterclass? If not... why not? I want an explanation.PogiSloFans25-08-2026
- i think this idea came from the world cup where they invited some influencers as well. But beside the stars of the world cup and the commentary team of stars, it is unlikely any influencers would greater sway. The Vuelta is not apologizing nor removing her, in fact they are still keeping her in the race, since whoever the high placed idiot/admirer who hired her does not want to lose faceabstractengineer25-08-2026
- Contador is by no means a perfect voice on the matter, but i agree with him. Tadej loves to race and is always chasing new challenges. he's never been just focused on the tour record. he's also told contador personally that he grew up wanting to race like he did, hard to believe he'd value armstrongs wins after seeing everything from 09 to 12 as a kid.typurc25-08-2026
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