"That's Primoz' priority" - Roglic himself has asked not to be at the Tour de France to prioritize chance to make history at La Vuelta

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe are cycling's new 'super team' however within this massively talented structure, a lot of choices had to be made - a lot of riders must be kept happy. As a result the Tour de France will feature both Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz aiming for the yellow jersey or close; whilst Primoz Roglic most definitely will not be present, at his own request. Zak Dempster, who is now in charge of the team's schedule decisions, has explained why this is. 

"I flew to Monaco and spoke with Primoz at length. He wants to win again, because that's what he enjoys," team 'chief of sports' Zak Dempster said in words to Wielerflits. However this means that the Slovenian will ultimately forego of his participation at the Tour de France. The Giro d'Italia never looked like a realistic option after he targeted it this year unsuccessfully and several other riders in the team had intentions to be there; however the Tour looked quite possible. But a supporting role, or chasing stage wins, was not what he wanted. 

Instead, he wants to make history in 2026, and this is possible. At the time bring, Roglic is tied with Roberto Heras as the record holder of overall wins at the Spanish Grand Tour, with four wins each. It is somehow a record that has not been in the spotlight, however is one of the few top-level records that can realistically be beaten in modern cycling, specially amongst those which are not being tackled by the likes of Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel and Remco Evenepoel. 

"He can still claim stage wins in the Tour. And who knows what would have been possible in the general classification. But he had a strong desire to take the right steps to win the Vuelta again. Whether that's still within his capabilities, we can argue about for days. But that's Primoz' priority."

If Roglic is to win the Vuelta in September of this year, he would be the first rider in its history to win it a fifth time. He has done this in 2019, 2020, 2021 and most recently in 2024 after he joined the German team. The likes of João Almeida, Felix Gall, Matthew Riccitello, Mattias Skjelmose and Enric Mas are amongst those who have confirmed their intentions of racing the final Grand Tour of the year. 

On the other hand is the Tour lineup, which has Florian Lipowitz aiming for success, as is the case with Remco Evenepoel. The Olympic Champion is making his debut with Red Bul - BORA soon and will be having a conservative calendar this spring, as he aims to have a healthy and regular season ahead of his return to the Tour de France. He will take part in the Mallorca Challenge's TTT and the Volta a Comuntiat Valenciana before a lengthy training period and the Volta a Catalunya. 

Dempster justifies this large gap (of around month and a half) in racing due to the demands of similar races such as Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico. "If you look at the toughest WorldTour races, you end up with Paris-Nice, the Volta a Catalunya, and the Critérium du Dauphiné. You burn the most kilojoules in those races. That's why I think the combination of Paris-Nice and Catalunya is incredibly dangerous," Dempster argues.

Instead, he will build up his form towards Catalunya which will be an important climbing test this spring; before focusing on the Ardennes classics where he is set to be Tadej Pogacar's main rival. "With the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège in mind, we might take the beginning of March off. That way, we can get Remco through the season relatively fresh."

The Briton also discussed the potential Tour lineup, something that is surprisingly open in the German team. Evenepoel and Lipowitz are certain to be joined by Mattia Cattaneo and Maxim van Gils, but otherwise there are many spots open, and a sprinter like Jordi Meeus can still find his way into the lineup as well depending on how the season evolves. 

"Without going into too much detail: we have guys on the team who have stood on the podium of Grand Tours and who could also be in our Tour squad now. Daniel Felipe Martínez is an example of that. He had a very difficult 2025, but I absolutely see him as a key figure in our team," Dempster continues. But he admits that full GC focus is not necessarily what the team will do. 

“Last year, you also saw eight stages won by attackers. We need those kinds of guys, who can slip along and be competitive on those stages. In that respect, we can discuss someone like Jai Hindley, whether he'll come to the Tour after the Giro as a domestique and stage-hunter. Maxim Van Gils, like Dani, has also had a difficult year, but why shouldn't he be able to join us? Stage four will already be for a breakaway; that stage suits him almost perfectly.”

Above all, the team looks to have sufficient men to support its leaders in the flat and hilly terrain, away from the mountains where the two should hold their own. “You just have to find the right balance. You also need an engine room. That's one reason why we signed someone like Mattia Cattaneo. Someone like Nico Denz is also very good at that, Jan Tratnik is world-class at his job, and so is Gianni Moscon," he numbers. 

"Then there's a whole new generation of engine room athletes. Think of Mick and Tim van Dijke, Laurence Pithie, and I could go on. There's a long list. We have work to do, and we'll bring the best team with us no matter what".