PALMA DE MAIORCA (Spain) – «If you ask me if I would rather finish second in the Tour or win the Vuelta, I have no doubts: win the Vuelta». These are the words of Primois Roglic that struck us most during the media day held by his team a few days ago. In the context of the Red Bull-Bora training camp, The Slovenian arrives with the pace of someone accustomed to living with expectations, but also with the weight of time and a great deal of awareness. Maybe wisdom by now.
Ralph Denk immediately dispelled any doubts by announcing that Roglic will run the Return and will not be at the starting line either Tour of Italy nor of Tour de France. A decision that shapes the season and, consequently, all the journalists' questions. Roglic listens, smiles, then takes the microphone with the clarity of someone who has seen and experienced it all.
New season, old goals
The season opens as it often does around him: with high expectations but with a clear awareness. Roglic isn't looking for shortcuts, he doesn't want illusions. In Mallorca, he says it simply, directly, almost disarmingly: "I'm a realist (realist is a word that Slovenian will often use, ed.), the Tour is no longer among the main objectives. The window to win it has closed. Not out of resignation, but out of clarity: the level of the younger players is very high and I'm 36 years old. But I'm still competitive and I prefer to focus my energy where it really counts and where I can do well."
The Vuelta thus becomes the center of his season, the cornerstone around which everything revolves. The fifth success would be something historic, a milestone that would give further lustre to these last years of his career.
"Cycling," Roglic explains, "has moved towards a generation capable of always racing at the limit, with impressive consistency. I'm still here, I'm still hungry. I've never lacked motivation. The difference today lies in how to direct that hunger.».
Liberation Tour
The pursuit of the Tour is no longer a moral obligation, and this seems to have eased his burden. And it's an almost palpable feeling. A feeling that those close to him have confirmed. The staff told us that Primoz is serenity personified. Polite, approachable, he experiences events and races in a very "zen" way. And this is something he's improved over the years. At the beginning, let's face it, it wasn't exactly like that...
Roglic enters the new year with a clear mindset: specific preparation, a single, clear goal, and the desire to apply his experience in a race he knows like no other. For him, the Vuelta isn't a fallback, but the natural stage for an athlete still aiming for the highest possible results. And he's been emphatic about the fact that it's not a fallback. To the umpteenth question from journalists who asked him if he wasn't dissatisfied with this "B-series" program (as if only the Tour existed) that the team had planned for him, that he was not a stopgap, Primoz's expression changed. From smiling and helpful for a few seconds he stiffened: he snorted, changed tone and reiterated once and for all that he likes this program and that it's fine.
New balances
The other big question is inevitable: what will be Roglic's role in a team that welcomes phenomena like Remco EvenepoelThe Belgian's arrival, along with the growth of the young Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team, is redrawing hierarchies and responsibilities. But paradoxically, not for Roglic.
Primoz didn't claim leadership, he didn't put up walls. On the contrary... Since the trip to Japan at the end of the year he had declared that he would be ready to help Remco in case they ran together. In short, he's now above the fray. He's the ultimate wild card.
With Remco there's no overlap, but rather complementarity. And not just because the Belgian is aiming for the Tour and Roglic for the Vuelta. But precisely for a question of realism, as we were saying. Then it's clear that The two separate programs avoid any possible conflict and, intelligently, broaden the scope of the Red Bull-Bora sporting project itself. Within the team, the Slovenian becomes an accelerator of maturity for the younger players, a captain who offers guidance and accepts a less prominent but still central role.
Roglic, therefore, isn't afraid of change. Indeed, he seems to have interpreted it as an opportunity: "With Remco in the team and so many very strong guys I don't have to be at full strength all the time. or fight on every front for myself and the team. And that's no small thing." When they say that experience counts...
Speaking of plans, the Slovenian should have a smooth start. On the other hand, the big goal is late August. Primoz will be at the Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of the Basque Country. Presumably it should also do the Tour de Suisse, but there will be time to fine-tune everything on the more detailed approach. Another piece of news: it should almost entirely skip the classics.
Looking to the future
But 2026 is also the year of decisions for Primoz. Roglic's contract is expiring and, while not going into specifics, he hints that any reflection will also include his life outside of cycling. He repeated it several times with surprising sincerity.
"Running another ten years? I'd love to, but talking about it is easy, doing it is not. The reality is that this sport is tough, and staying at the highest level isn't easy. I don't even know where I could continue to improve. Let's see, for now I don't set deadlines or limits on my future decisions, which in any case will be made also considering the family."
For Roglic, the priority today isn't just performance, but family. In short, he doesn't want to continue at all costs. He's not seeking forced renewals, nor is he chasing long-term contracts out of inertia. His future, it seems, will be decided after the Vuelta. "I'll listen to my body," he says.
In Mallorca Roglic leaves us with the impression of an athlete who is still motivated, but with a broader vision: the awareness that cycling is a central part of his life, not his entire life.
