Not all interviews with Primoz Roglic are equally interesting, but in a conversation with the Slovenian Delo, the four-time Vuelta winner was quite candid. The 35-year-old climber addressed the arrival of Remco Evenepoel at 'his' Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. "We haven't spoken yet, but I want to sit down with him," he said.
With his arrival in 2024, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe seemed to have a clear leader in Roglic. However, this season several of the Slovene's teammates have made an (equally) strong impression. Florian Lipowitz finished third in the Tour de France, Jai Hindley secured fourth place in the Vuelta’s overall classification, and the young Giulio Pellizzari recorded two 6th places in the Giro and Vuelta.
Roglic’s own performances, on the other hand, were somewhat disappointing. During the Giro d’Italia, the team leader had to withdraw due to illness, and he was far from convincing in the Tour de France. His status as the undisputed team leader within the German outfit is now fully under threat following the official announcement of Remco Evenepoel’s arrival.
Roglic wants to sit down with Evenepoel
The two-time Olympic champion will join the German WorldTeam next season, which seems set to change the team dynamics again. Roglic hasn’t yet spoken with his new Belgian teammate, but the Slovene is eager to change that soon. "We haven’t talked with Remco yet, but I want to sit down with him."
"I think it’s very important for us to have an open and honest relationship from the start of our collaboration." Roglic also hasn’t spoken with the team management about Evenepoel’s arrival. "There hasn’t been any discussion within the team yet about what will happen next season," he said.
This article continues below the transfer overview
World Championships chances
So far, there has been little communication, but perhaps the two teammates will get a chance to talk in Rwanda. Roglic arrives in Kigali on Friday to - like Evenepoel - participate in the upcoming Sunday’s World Road Race. Personally, the 35-year-old multi-winner doesn’t expect much from that race.
"It’s going to be a challenge. I have little chance of finishing in the top spots. Tadej (Pogacar, ed.) will be there, and Remco (Evenepoel, ed.) is flying right now," Roglic referred to his future teammate’s impressive time trial. "And besides them, there are ten other riders who can perform well on Sunday."
This article continues below the image
Roglic last competed in the Clásica San Sebastián - photo: Cor Vos[/caption]
Still, we might expect an attacking Roglic. The former Olympic time trial champion certainly has good reason for that. "I probably won’t be at ten more World Championships, and I don’t know what I can achieve if I don’t try. Moreover, Slovenia has nine riders here — a special honor. So we will give it everything we’ve got."
Suboptimal preparation
What works against the experienced Slovene, however, is his preparation. "I did some long training rides but otherwise stuck to my usual method. That has worked for me in stage races, and we’ll have to see if it works in such a specific one-day race like the Worlds."
"Furthermore, the circumstances are unusual because I leave Spain on Thursday and only arrive in Rwanda on Friday. We’ll have to see if that works out. It’s a risky move, but it was the only way to prepare for this World Championship," Roglic concluded.
