Primož Roglič seldom wants a second to suppose when he fields questions from the media. He’s well-known for being concise, sharp and capable of finish pre- and post-race interviews with a intelligent quip earlier than focusing again on what he is employed to do – win races.
However, with a brand new season comes one other annual media day and a uncommon likelihood to select the mind of the fascinating character Roglič in an extended interview. After answering what the Slovenian press wished to know for 40 minutes and permitting the anglophone media to substitute in, the query which made Roglič take a breath and ponder the longest was “What would you say motivates you probably the most to achieve success, to win?”
“It’s a tough query eh… But exhausting query, or not, I simply wish to be myself,” says Roglič to a small group together with Cyclingnews after an extended pause.
“I’ve a very unbelievable alternative, truly, in my life and my time being right here. I modified sports activities from being a ski jumper to using a motorbike and I may by no means think about now doing fairly so good and profitable, sure, some bike races.
“It’s a pleasure, however however, perhaps additionally a accountability to have that. I simply attempt to be me and attempt to do my finest within the time that I’ve right here, and that is easy.”
Roglič has been a serial winner since he got here to bike racing as a 23-year-old, racking up 88 wins as knowledgeable, the equal fourth most amongst lively male riders – coincidentally on the identical quantity as compatriot Tadej Pogačar.
He’s naturally shy in dialog and tends to maintain to himself, which could not be extra contrasting along with his propensity to be ruthless and attacking on the bike.
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Roglič after all recognises his function as a job mannequin and the chief at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe due to his profitable pedigree and standing as a five-time Grand Tour champion however takes on that function by main via instance, letting the legs do the speaking.
“I’m shy, usually, I would like to be alone or cover someplace,” says Roglič of welcoming in new teammates like Maxim Van Gils earlier than the season’s begin. “But I attempt to meet the folks and attempt to get to know one another, particularly the blokes that clearly we are going to work collectively.
“I do not wish to give this sort of impression [of being too shy], I imply, I did not chew anyone besides the bars and the gels for the second,” he laughs.
“We signed a bunch of robust guys. Putting all the perfect guys on paper at one race, it is necessary that may work, then that you must join all these items collectively. I’m wanting ahead to the season and spending extra time collectively on the bike, to get to know one another and construct belief between us.”
For Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s chief of sports activities, Rolf Aldag, Roglič’s comeback win on the 2024 Vuelta a España was a key highlighter of how he reveals his management, additionally acknowledging how rather more the Slovenian has settled into his function within the crew going into his second yr.
“He nonetheless has that tremendous constructive angle in the direction of his job, and he leads by instance, not with big phrases,” Aldag tells Cyclingnews per week earlier than Roglič’s season debut.
“But saying that for those who give him the discussion board, for those who give him just like the stage, say like in October, we had our first crew assembly and this yr he did come on stage to handle the crew and I feel that was tremendous good.
“Sometimes, he builds a wall and it is simply actually troublesome to look over that wall. But if he opens up, he has one thing to say, that may be very legitimate to the employees and to his teammates.
“Also throughout the crew, after all, efficiency at all times helps. There was a time final yr once we as a crew couldn’t supply him the proper platform as a rider to money into outcomes, which additionally circled with victory on the Vuelta.
“I do suppose, for either side, it was essential to point out that we’re there for one another, that we nonetheless imagine in one another and that this partnership will be very profitable.”
Resilient like Cavendish and nonetheless bettering at 35
Last yr’s Vuelta, the place Roglič took a record-equalling fourth title in Spain, was the third he’d gained simply months after struggling heartbreak on the Tour de France. In 2020, Pogačar snatched the yellow jersey from Roglič on the penultimate stage after a dramatic time trial win. In 2021 and 2024, crashes noticed him abandon the Tour and once more miss out on his profession purpose.
The time in Spain was one other signal of Roglič’s ever-undying resilience. His luck on the Tour through the years might need been abysmal, nevertheless, his psychological toughness and skill to bounce again can by no means be questioned. Several huge crashes and accidents have left him battle-scarred however this resilience has come to be the story of his profession.
Aldag, having labored with perennial comeback artist Mark Cavendish at Dimension Data, has seen comparable resilience all through his time in biking however solely very not often and from probably the most particular of riders.
“Well, as you already know, I labored with Mark Cavendish so I can let you know I went to greater highs and deeper lows with him as nicely. That’s why I’m nonetheless fairly relaxed about Primož,” says Aldag with a smile. “If you suppose it is going dangerous, then you may suppose again on among the days with Cav.
“But these are very particular characters. I do suppose firsthand that it does make them so profitable – that they simply by no means quit. They simply carry on coming again. They imagine in their very own strengths and so they carry on pushing ahead.
“But, certainly, Primož, contemplating the entire world of biking and the 400 or no matter riders within the WorldTour peloton, there’s not three of his sort.”
With that resilience in thoughts, Roglič is hoping for an additional bounce again this coming season, seeking to re-find his finest type on the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France after being the fourth better of biking’s so-called “huge 4” earlier than he crashed out final July.
For the Slovenian, the beginning of the season arrives subsequent Wednesday, on the Volta ao Algarve. It’s one in all solely 4 races at the moment on his schedule for the season and, with former teammate Jonas Vingegaard additionally making his season debut in Portugal, will probably be the primary assembly of the 4 primary GC stars in 2025.
“The purpose is simply to achieve my finest form. The outcomes will likely be what they are going to be,” says Roglič in his typical type. “I do not know the way quick all the opposite finest guys will go, you already know, however myself, what I can try for is to attempt to construct myself into the perfect Primož that there was.
What precisely the perfect stage of himself is, Roglič is not fairly positive, nevertheless, he sees the extent he discovered finally yr’s Vuelta as a strong place to start out.
“Inside I nonetheless really feel 20, I may even color my hair to be extra with out gray ones to look youthful,” he jokes, earlier than rapidly placing his severe hat again on. “The purpose, as an example I had a very excessive stage in Vuelta final yr, is to seek for that form and that stage.”
While Aldag and Red Bull cannot management how robust Pogačar, Vingegaard and Evenepoel will likely be in the beginning of the Tour, they’re nonetheless assured that their man, even at 35, is getting stronger.
“We nonetheless really feel, importantly, like he is nonetheless getting higher and nonetheless bettering. There’s no thought that we’re on the highest of the hill and now all the pieces is about making an attempt to decelerate the downhill – we do not really feel like this,” says Aldag.
“Also, to my understanding from the efficiency crew, his numbers are nonetheless getting higher and that is good to see. What we do not have an affect on is what’s Tadej going to do, and what Jonas goes to do.
“We really feel like if we do our protocols and processes completely, we will likely be aggressive, however we will not say greater than that. T the end result will simply be the consequence of whether or not we did all the pieces completely.”
But Roglič is much from accomplished but and the Vuelta confirmed precisely that. There have been a number of rumours of Red Bull making an attempt to herald Remco Evenepoel to chase their long-term purpose of profitable the Tour. However, they’re nonetheless very a lot centered on and imagine Roglič can deliver them that within the immediacy.
“You come to a degree the place you can’t say ‘Now we should win this’ if you do not know how match the others are,” continues the crew’s Chief of Sport. “But I feel we’re fairly assured and it is necessary for us to say, can we nonetheless see the areas to enhance? Absolutely.
“We get extra stability in diet. We get extra stability when it comes to racing to be very constant over a time period. We do find out about coaching, we nonetheless adapt our altitude philosophy… and Primož continues to be sharp as a razor blade.”
The errors of their 2024 Tour de France strategy
Aldag and Roglič have each admitted that some errors had been made of their first strategy to the Tour collectively final season, with a number of learnings from the teachings of 2024 to be taken of their run-up to the Giro and Tour this yr.
Asked, with hindsight, if he felt the crew did an excessive amount of of their thorough lead-up to the Tour when a hefty altitude camp, adopted by competing on the Critérium du Dauphiné after which a second top-up camp in Tignes, noticed riders not return dwelling earlier than the race. Roglič may solely say sure.
“In that case, I might agree now, for positive. But like they at all times say, after the conflict, it is fairly simple to be sensible,” says Roglič.
“It’s additionally necessary to at all times look again, not instantly, however perhaps with a little bit of distance. Then you may put feelings a bit on the aspect and actually look the way it was and attempt to be taught. Hopefully this yr, we cannot repeat the errors and we will react higher if we discover ourselves in the identical state of affairs.”
Aldag shed some extra gentle on the state of affairs confirming that it was the psychological aspect of his riders that was worst affected by the burnout.
“I feel motivation may flip into one thing that you just overdo, particularly with issues that you just wish to do completely,” says Aldag.
Problems began once they headed instantly from altitude to the Dauphiné, with cancelled flights inflicting a number of riders to reach at 3:30 am earlier than the race started.
While they gained the necessary pre-Tour type marker with Roglič, it took fairly an effort from the Slovenian and his teammates. Again, with the fantastic thing about hindsight, Aldag, who was head DS in France, believes they may have reined their aggressive racing in barely.
“Looking again, perhaps I ought to have taken it somewhat bit extra relaxed and informed the blokes ‘We purpose right here for achievement, we wish to show ourselves as a crew however let’s not overdo it’,” he says.
“There are some phases the place I’m vital of myself. We may have approached it much less offensive, not like operating head first into the wall, assuming that the wall will collapse and we carry on going.”
The actual injury, nevertheless, was accomplished on the top-up camp in Tignes, the place it “was actually raining each single day”. Aldag says he would now inform his riders to go dwelling if an analogous state of affairs arose.
“When we arrived on the Tour, we had been most likely bodily OK, not recent sufficient, however mentally cooked, and you do not wish to be like that in the beginning of the tour. That is irreversible, you can’t, say two days earlier than, take it simple, like in coaching the place you may taper and again off.
“On that psychological standing, for those who’re cooked, you are cooked, what do you do about it? Now we’ve got additionally added a psychological efficiency division, so that might maintain us again from making the identical selections now.
“I feel even when the camp was paid, all the pieces is completed proper, below that prediction of climate, below the circumstances, I might now cease the camp, ship all people dwelling and say ‘Relax, refresh, spend time with the household and are available to the Tour de France’, that will likely be now my take. But as at all times, you can’t return in time.”
Dealing with strain forward of a Giro-Tour double try
Roglič’s strategy will after all be completely different from final yr with the Giro d’Italia on his plan earlier than the Tour, returning to the Italian Grand Tour for the primary time since his general victory there in 2023. Aldag sees potential success on the Giro being the perfect pre-Tour leisure methodology, particularly given Roglič’s closely blemished document in France.
“It’s going to be easy, is not it? We undoubtedly do not purpose to place any race in between the Giro and the Tour so the preparation is obvious,” he says. “Hopefully with some success and his head up excessive from Giro, we’ll really feel prepared. And then we will simply chill out, prepare and race, which he is actually good at.
“I’ve by no means seen Primož, if he isn’t sick or injured, not being race prepared after a coaching camp, so he is aware of what he can do. He will get his routine. He’s not involved by what his rivals are doing.
“Of course, we are going to purpose for achievement within the Giro. If we obtain that, then we will likely be a lot calmer and rather more relaxed going into the Tour understanding what he and his coach [Marc Lamberts] are going to do on day minus 15 to the Tour, minus 12 to the Tour and minus 5 to the Tour. I see it as an excellent path.”
Roglič hasn’t completed his earlier three Tour begins and the strain will likely be all the identical on the highway from Lille again to Paris come July 5. But a lot of that strain and must succeed, regardless of his reserved and quiet manner is self-inflicted. And whereas his response to what drives him to win might have been “I simply wish to be myself”, that additionally means being a winner.
“I feel the largest strain comes from himself,” says Aldag. “This is typically exhausting for folks to determine as a result of it is typical of Primož for those who do interview him, typically he leads to these phrases like ‘If I’m good, I’ll assault, if I’m not good, they are going to drop me.’ Now, is that his actual mind-set? Of course not.
“He has an expectation. He is aware of the place he needs to be. Does he present that on a regular basis? Not actually. I do suppose he copes with plenty of that stuff by himself but in addition works along with his sports activities psychologist.
“They have a long-term relationship and I feel that’s necessary, that he isn’t alone and that he feels it’s one thing he needs to speak about. He can come to us, however he additionally has a construction that he is aware of over years and years that he can depend on.
“I feel he needs to win. A Primož who doesn’t wish to win might be contemplating stopping skilled biking and on the lookout for one thing else, as a result of profitable drives him.”