"The outcome was better than what we had hoped for" - Primoz Roglic admits surprise regarding Tadej Pogacar's Tour de France implosion

The 2022 Tour de France was a dramatic one. The battle between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard has seen the rest of the competition fighting away from the victory, and Primoz Roglic describes the day in which Jumbo-Visma managed to crack the Slovenian in the yellow jersey.

"It is clear that my job in the Tour is not done yet. The future will show what is still possible. I definitely want to return to the Tour de France" Roglic admitted in an interview with Wielerflits. "My first assignment will be to make it to Paris again. After the last two disappointing editions, I have to go back to basics and try to achieve that first goal again."

"But of course I want to compete in the top of the standings. The coming edition is going to be special anyway with Jonas wearing number 1 and we have to defend the title as Jumbo-Visma. I like to be there.”

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Whilst Vingegaard and Wout van Aert have stated their clear intentions of returning to the Tour in search of success such as this year's, Roglic's decisions depend more on his recovery. He's recently returned to the bike after a shoulder surgery which was meant to prevent him from further dislocating it. However he recalls what happened the days following his latest dislocation - which took place in the opening week of the Tour, and led the Slovenian into a secondary role within the team.

“I am delighted to hear that so many people enjoyed our teamwork on that day. I also thought it was nice to have a share in that show on the penultimate col of the day, the Galibier," he said. "I knew that I was no longer riding for my own chances there and that the intention was to wear down Tadej Pogačar in the service of Jonas Vingegaard.”

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There, Roglic and Vingegaard both attacked the yellow jersey in the slopes of the Col du Télégraphe and Galibier, in an attempt to raid Pogacar. Whilst it did not bring immediate effect, Pogacar later cracked at the Col du Granon, and was not able to take back the lost time in the following weeks.

“I knew that any attack I made there would probably be one of my last feats of arms in that Tour," Roglic revealed. "We rode there with the whole team to win the Tour. If that opportunity arises, it doesn't matter who wins on the team. I just gave everything there to create the best possible situation for the team.”

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“To be honest, that result surprised me a bit. The outcome was better than what we had hoped for. Of course it was hard to have to leave the Tour a few days later. The pain of the injury became unbearable, making it unwise to continue cycling," he said. For third time in a row the Tour ended in heartbreak for Roglic, but he played a crucial role in the team's success.

“The moment I left the Tour, I was confident that Jonas would win the race," he admits however. "Later on, I had occasional contact with the team leaders from home, but I didn't have to give much advice. Everything functioned fine. Their mapped out tactics worked very well and the team was very strong. Of course it was painful that I was not there in the final week. However, the moment you leave the Tour circus, you immediately have the feeling that there is distance.”

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