Two years after his triumphant ride in Rome, Primoz Roglic
returned to the Giro d’Italia in 2025 with high hopes and even higher
expectations. Backed by the might of Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe and billed
once again as a favourite for pink, the Slovenian instead endured one of the
most damaging grand tours of his career, and this is certainly saying something.
Four crashes across three weeks, no stage win, and ultimately, abandonment on
Stage 16.
The scenes were depressingly familiar. In Wielerflits,
veteran Belgian journalist Hugo Coorevits captured it best: “Images of the
abandonment of a top favourite during the race are always shot hastily… the
rider silently gets into the car, his head bowed.” It was, as Coorevits pointed
out, “already the fifth time that he had to abandon the battle in this way in a
major tour.”
That line stings, not because it's unfair, but because it's
true. The Giro 2025 didn’t just mark a defeat; it’s a continuation of a brutal
pattern. Roglic’s palmares is the stuff of legend, four Vueltas, one Giro, an
Olympic title, his Grand Tour story has long teetered between brilliance and misfortune.
His resilience is legendary, but by definition, follows trauma. And Roglic has
had more than his share.
Coorevits reflects on a telling moment from last year’s
Critérium du Dauphiné, when Roglic insisted on starting a stage despite a heavy
fall the previous day. “Even though he could not even reach into his back
pocket with his left arm to get some food,” Coorevits recalls, “Primož did not
want to give up.” That stubbornness, once seen as a strength, now raises a more
uncomfortable question: is he fighting battles his body no longer wants?
Roglic is set to return to the Tour in July
Roglic’s 2025 Giro never looked convincing. There were
crashes no one saw clearly, as Coorevits notes: “There is often a haze of
uncertainty surrounding Rogla's falls. Rarely, if ever, are they properly
captured on film.” The crash on the gravel in Tuscany, the recon incident
before the second time trial, the spill in Gorizia, each one chipped away at
his chances and, perhaps, his confidence.
The clearest sign something was wrong came before his
withdrawal. “He never sprinted for the bonus seconds,” Coorevits points out.
For a rider who built a career on collecting marginal gains, snatching seconds
wherever possible, that silence was deafening.
Still, the speculation around Roglic’s future erupted the
moment he left the race. “He’s done,” claimed a young podcaster, quoted by
Coorevits. But the Belgian journalist was quick to push back: “Maybe. But I
think it’s too early for such assertive statements.” And he’s right, remember
less than a year ago Roglic bounced back from another Tour disaster to win the
Vuelta.
He turns 36 in October. And while age doesn’t define a
cyclist’s end, it certainly narrows the runway. “Time is ticking,” Coorevits
acknowledges, adding that Roglic’s dream of winning the Tour still burns bright,
especially after the heartbreak of 2020, when he lost yellow to Tadej Pogacar
in the now infamous Planche des Belles Filles time trial.
But the landscape has changed. Back then, Roglic looked like
the most complete GC rider in the world. Now, he’s one of four or five
outsiders behind the trident of Pogacar, Vingegaard, and Evenepoel. Maybe the
question we should be asking ourselves is would Roglic still be going if he had
won that Tour title in 2020?
Coorevits closed with a poignant reference to another
cycling legend, “Miguel Indurain is the most striking example: in the Tour in
1996 he was outpaced by Bjarne Riis, and in the subsequent Vuelta a España he
turned around during a stage and cycled back to the hotel. ‘Miguelón’ had
understood that his time was up.”
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026
Loading
8 Comments