"The more we win, the better" - Primoz Roglic on teaming up with Remco Evenepoel at Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe

In 2023, Primoz Roglic dominated the Tirreno-Adriatico with three stage wins and the overall victory. This year, the 36-year-old Slovenian returns to the Italian stage race for the first time since that win.

Before the start of the race, the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe team leader spoke to the press. He looked very relaxed as he talked about his winter training, the young new riders in the sport, and having Remco Evenepoel as a new teammate.

Before starting his cycling season, Roglic spent some time last month at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. Since he used to be a ski jumper, he really enjoyed watching the sport. He even joked about his past goals. "It was a beautiful experience. For years I dreamed of competing in the Winter Games myself. In the end, it became the Summer Games," he said in comments gathered by WielerFlits.

Now, he is focused on his first cycling race of the year. He explained that he has been working hard, even if he hasn't been racing. "At the first race it is always difficult to estimate where you stand. It is not that I have only been on vacation the past few weeks," he laughed. "I did an altitude training camp and was able to train well there. But now I am mostly just happy that I can race again."

Roglic knows this race very well. He won the overall title in 2019 and 2023 when he was riding for Team Jumbo-Visma. Even though he is a favorite to win again, he says he is not feeling any stress about the results right now.

"Of course I always want to win. But to be honest, I am not that focused on results right now. The field of participants is strong and I am mostly looking forward to battling with all these guys again."

When looking at the route, he thinks the later stages in the Marche region will be the most important. However, he knows his past victories will not help him today.

"The opening time trial will certainly play a role for the general classification, but I think the stages later in the week, in the Marche, will ultimately be decisive. That is also the terrain where I managed to win three stages in a row in 2023. So I am not complaining about this course. But what I won three years ago means nothing now. That offers no guarantee. We all start from zero again."

At 36 years old, Roglic is racing against a very young group of stars. Riders like 22-year-old Isaac del Toro and 21-year-old Paul Magnier are top favorites this week. But Roglic says racing against teenagers does not bother him at all.

"The rise of such young riders does not make me feel old. On the contrary, it rather makes me younger. I love competing against these guys." He explained that once the race begins, nobody cares how old you are.

"As soon as we pin on a race number and the race starts, age means nothing anymore. Everyone starts from zero and has to prove themselves again. That is exactly the beauty of this sport: every single time you have to show what you are worth. Whether you are a young rider or have been around for years."

Finally, Roglic talked about his new teammate, Remco Evenepoel, who joined the German team this season. Roglic believes having another superstar on the team is a great advantage. "With Remco, we have added a big name. This year he has already won a few races. For us, that is only a good thing. The more we win, the better. Moreover, it also takes some pressure off the other riders."