🇪🇸 #LaVuelta24 It’s eighth place for @rogla today, with Florian Lipowitz also finishing in twelfth. 📸: Sprintcycling
"Without Pogacar, Vingegaard or Evenepoel, Primoz should be able to fight for the podium" - Roglic's coach confident in Vuelta a Espana chances
CyclingSunday, 18 August 2024 at 12:00
A three time Vuelta a Espana winner, Primoz Roglic is amongst the favourites to take home the Red Jersey once again in 2024 and the Slovenian leader of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe started the race incredibly well, setting the fastest time of all the GC hopefuls in the stage 1 individual time trial.
“After the Tour, Primoz was in a lot of pain,” says Roglic's coach, Marc Lamberts, who followed the experienced Slovenian from Team Visma | Lease a Bike to Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe over the winter off season, in conversation with Het Nieuwsblad from stage 1 of the Vuelta a Espana in Lisbon. “He tried to rehabilitate as best he could at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center in Salzburg, with intense physiotherapy and stabilization.”
So bad was Roglic's pain after crashing out of the Tour de France, even starting the Vuelta a Espana was in doubt for a while. “Primoz didn’t cycle for ten days, after which he slowly started again. We had doubts about the Vuelta, but in consultation with the doctors it was finally decided to go on a three-week altitude training camp in Tignes," Lamberts explains. "Primoz trained there in pain for the first ten days, but that was taken into account. The doctors had said in advance: ‘pain is the yardstick, only do what you can tolerate’.”
And so, Roglic made his way to Lisbon for the start of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana and as mentioned, started very well by setting the 8th fastest time in the stage 1 individual time trial but gaining potentially valuable seconds on all other Red Jersey rivals. This results bodes especially well for Roglic given his past experiences according to Lamberts. “When Primoz comes from altitude, a time trial on day one is usually not very good. At altitude you train ninety-five percent uphill, at fifteen, twenty per hour. In the time trial it will now immediately be at fifty per hour,” explains the coach.
In terms of rivals, Lamberts sees Roglic's former teammate and defending Vuelta a Espana champion Sepp Kuss as the leading challenger. "He had an altitude training camp and competition for the Vuelta. Guys like Joao Almeida and Adam Yates also come from the Tour, which gives little time for recovery, build-up and taper," Lamberts concludes. "Without Pogacar, Vingegaard or Evenepoel, Primoz should be able to fight for the podium. Let's hope that it is the highest step in the end."
claps 3visitors 1252
Just in
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter today!
Nov 05, 13:04
0
Popular news
Latest comments
- I wouldn’t assume Tadej can’t win at cross. He did a cross race, not a World Cup, a few years ago and crushed the field. It was a minor race. But he can win anywhere.mij23-12-2024
- I wonder what would happen if Pogacar attacked on the Cipressa instead of the Poggio in San Remo? Would MvdPoel still be able to follow?Ride197423-12-2024
- Debatable?Ride197423-12-2024
- The point is obvious: MVDP can beat Tadej on CX/Road and Tadej cannot. What is so hard to understand???averagecyclist22-12-2024
- Funny... one doper enabler backing the doper he enabled ! Who would have guessed.frieders322-12-2024
- Wouldn’t be here if I wasn’tMistermaumau22-12-2024
- So you're bored, got itvappaxbipmv22-12-2024
- Does everything need to have a point? If so, 99% of the internet should be wiped away. In relation to recent articles with quotes from other riders, my statement points to the ever more obvious reason why they are asked to comment on the effect of his return.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- If anyone would be interested enough to launch an official survey as to who out of these three should shut up, I don’t know who’d win but I’m due Boonen would be way back in 3rd place.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- And your point is what exactly?vappaxbipmv22-12-2024