Just before the start of the 106th edition of the Giro dell’Emilia, Primoz Roglic announces the end of his collaboration at the end of the season with Team Jumbo-Visma, collaboration which began almost 8 years. His transfer from the third professional division to the World Tour did not attract much attention at the time. His double in the space of a month during the Tour of Azerbaijan and the Tour of Slovenia was enough to convince the Dutch team, which was aiming just right..
Accelerated learning.
The ex-ski jumper starts his adventure very well by winning the very hilly time trial of the Giro 2016. Half a surprise, because he had already stood out in the opening prologue a few days earlier during the big departure in the Netherlands. In June of the same year, when he was crowned Slovenian time trial champion, we discover in the native of Trbovlje a runner good at individual effort, able to shine when the road rises. After a first year as a free electron, the Slovenian begins to try his hand at the general rankings. He first won the Tour of the Algarve, before stringing together three tops 5 consecutive over three one-week World Tour races : Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour of the Basque Country and the Tour of Romandie. Bookmakers consider him a serious outsider for the Tour de France 2017, although he has no reference in high mountains. Unfortunately, he did not have the opportunity to disrupt the favorites due to a fall in the first stage in the rain in Düsseldorf.. However, he decides to learn differently by taking part in escapes. It is in this configuration that he became known to the general public during the queen stage of the Grande Boucle, notably distancing himself from Alberto Contador on the slopes of Galibier.. He won the stage alone after a raid of 35 km, thus signing his first victory in the high mountains.
A first Grand Tour on the list
Another double at the Tour du Pays Basque and the Tour de Romandie allows him to gain confidence and power. He demonstrates great regularity throughout the stages of the Tour 2018, placing himself as one of the best behind the Team Sky duo, Geraint Thomas et Christopher Froome. Winner of the last mountain stage, he is the main entertainer of the race during the third week, temporarily finding himself on the podium. Unfortunately, during the final time trial in the French Basque Country, he slips to 4th place due to a disappointing performance, later explained by an elbow injury suffered during the Tour de France. The following season, Roglic continues to pile up victories at the start of the year and embarks on a Giro sequence – Return. The start of the Corsa Rosa is promising, because he wears the Pink Jersey for a few days, but he finds himself caught in a duel of egos with Vincenzo Nibali and Mikel Landa, from which Richard Carapaz benefits. However, he wins his first final podium in a three-week race. The end of the season led him to an easy victory in the Vuelta which marked an important turning point in his career..
A checkered start to the decade.
After the resurgence of COVID-19, he launches into the Tour de France, masters the race from start to finish without being worried thanks to the power of his team. Unfortunately, while trying to play the defense card, he lost during the time trial of the Planche des Belles Filles during the penultimate stage of the Tour. It's an unexpected defeat, especially since he has left his rival and compatriot behind, Tadej Pogacar, during the Col de la Loze. However, he did not let himself be defeated and won the first monument of his career by winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège. A few weeks later, he even achieved the double in the Vuelta, but the bitterness of defeat in the Vosges persists. The following two years, he concentrates on the Tour de France but each time suffers significant setbacks due to falls at the start of the race, forcing him to give up. However, he helps his teammate Jonas Vingegaard to knock out. Pogacar during the Granon stage. these last years, he won his third title in the Vuelta and enriched his collection by winning this season in the Giro, thus diversifying its track record.
New Horizons
During his last Vuelta, associated with Jonas Vingegaard, he didn't really have the opportunity to play his card. Indeed, Jumbo Visma chooses to protect Sepp Kuss, while the Slovenian chases a record with the opportunity to achieve the quadruple in the Tour of Spain. With priority given to Vingegaard for the Tour, he legitimately decides to look for a base to complete what is missing in his collection of trophies, namely the Tour de France. He begins this quest during the Tour of Lombardy next Sunday, where he is considered among the favorites after his third victory in the Tour d’Émilie yesterday. The names of four teams come up repeatedly, namely the Lidl Trek, La Bora Hansgrohe, les INEOS Grenadiers, Movistar and Bahrain Victorious.
Primoz Roglic's sporting journey at Jumbo , marked by his victories, his defeats and his moments of perseverance, reflects his meteoric rise in the world of cycling. From the transition from the third division to the World Tour to its 74 Victories with the training of Richard Plugge, Roglic has established himself as one of the most talented and respected riders of his generation. His constant desire to surpass himself and diversify his track record shows his unwavering commitment to this demanding sport.. As he continues his challenges on the roads of professional cycling, expectations are high to see where this new stage of his career will take him, notably in his quest to conquer the Tour de France.
2 comments
How is the Jumbo doing now?, with such a leader,
jumbo is looking for a major sponsor and already has quite a few leaders on hand