Pogacar's recent words: at the Tour it will no longer be Jumbo against UAE, but there will also be the Bora with Roglic. Memories of the 2019 Giro: Nibali and Roglic are the super favorites, marking each other, and in the end Carapaz wins. So We asked ourselves whether Roglic could become the third wheel between Pogacar and Vingegaard., taking advantage of the fact that, as usual, the burden of the race will be entirely theirs. And who better than Enrico Gasparotto to guide us through this sort of barroom chatter, which is nevertheless based on very concrete facts? The Friulian is currently in Lugano. From the first retreat of the Bora Hansgrohe The planning phase has begun in Soelden, which sees him personally involved and will continue throughout November.
You have a fantastic squad, with Hindley, Vlasov, Kamna, Higuita, and Uijtdebroeck, plus Roglic. Could you be the third wheel?
It will depend on how Primoz goes before the Tour de France. Obviously he lived his entire career in the same environment, so the automatic mechanisms have always worked great after so many years. So I think that, even though “Rogla” is a great guy who manages to make himself loved by the group, he too will have to understand his teammates and his teammates will have to understand what he needsThe races he will do before the Tour will also serve this purpose. So I assume that maybe he may arrive at the Tour winning less than usual, precisely because of these dynamics and not because he goes slower.
A necessary adjustment period?
When you change environment after many years, It always takes you a while for everything to go smoothlyIf we end up being the third wheel, it means we have room for improvement, and we're ready to do so. If we end up being one of the two contenders, it means the buildup to the Tour has been perfect.
Will it be better to arrive at the Tour under the radar or by puffing out your chest, based on team habits?
If you ask me the question, I have always preferred to go to big appointments with a low profile, preferring instead to surprise positivelyMaybe I'm convinced of the riders' potential, but before making any big announcements, there is the law of the road that gives its verdictsHowever, on paper, Pogacar and Vingegaard have more racing experience than their teammates, they know the environment they are in and all this will come in handy in the Tour de France. Only one player wins it, but the importance of the team was evident. In short, keep a low profile and then we'll see how it goes.
Will Primoz have to adapt to the team or vice versa?
I think it's 50-50. Each leader has his own character and his own way of running, so the team must adapt to his needs.A trivial example: Hindley always likes to run at the top of the group. It's his nature, he's always had it, and he asked his teammates to help him. This year at the Tour, it took us a few days before they adapted to Jai, because they hadn't run enough races approaching with him. Because we had a lot of guys who did the Giro and then also the Tour. These are important dynamics, which concern half the captain and half the team.
When will the Roglic group be born?
Obviously we already have some ideas in our heads. This is the planning period, so we've already outlined our vision. The team will decide when it's made public. The need to form a working group is an objective necessity. We'll try to have them run together as much as possible, based on the course requirements and the needs of the kids. From a certain point on, if we have to run together, we will run together.However, it is clear that the various situations will be planned, analyzed, and implemented step by step, race after race.
Primoz can be spectacular, but sometimes he waits for the sprint because he knows he has a great start. With a view to turning around a Tour, are these qualities effective?
I believe that in the last year and a half has made a leap forward on a tactical levelIn the races I was in, for example the Tirreno, I was struck by the day of the uphill finish at Sassotetto with its strong winds. He ran very close to the back, aware that he probably had lightning-fast legs or at least that he was on top of things. He also ran intelligently at the Lombardia, where by his own admission he didn't feel at his bestHe let others vent, he left them all the work, he always ran in second place. He did a single effort to get back instead of chasing every time and in the end he made the podium again behind Pogacar and Bagioli. instead to Emilia, when he went they never took him again.
Can he adapt to situations?
It goes based on the sensations he has while running. And it's clear that the fast pace is in his favor, so it's natural that he tries to use it as best he can. But ultimately, it's the running situations that decide the best way to run.
You found him to have improved tactically, he appears more cheerful and less closed to the press…
I honestly didn't perceive this. I stopped recently and when I was alone on Teide, he was always there too, so for better or worse he was always very open with me.It's clear that the more years pass, the more you win and the more aware of your own abilities you become and the more you gain serenity. The media's heavy attention also means there are many, sometimes obvious, questions. It's rare to find cycling journalists who ask questions we're not prepared to answer. I'm also included, as a former rider. Ultimately, it's more or less always the same. What do you expect them to say?
Did you know it was coming at the eleventh hour or was it a goal that came to fruition at the last minute?
It was totally a last minute thingI think the first contacts started really late. I was brought in to talk about the arrival of new riders and the biggest problem was the budget, so I never imagined something like this could happenEvidently, as we read in the media, it all started after the Vuelta and it was very fast. It didn't take long to decideHonestly, I'm not used to all this movement at the end of the season of people who already have a contract and change teams.
Is it conceivable, given Jumbo's work schedule, that Hindley or Vlasov will go to the Tour to work for Roglic?
I can't answer that right now. The boys will certainly have their chances. Hindley, Vlasov and Kamna all have contracts expiring in 2024, so we feel obliged to give them all the chance to emerge, without closing his wings just because Primoz is there. He is certainly a winning rider, given that in 2023 he won 15 races and Bora, without national championships, won 17. It's clear that he's on a higher level, but it's also right to give space to the guys we have.
Also because there's not just the Tour…
It's no secret that Bora-Hansgrohe isn't used to finishing tenth in the rankings.They have always been in the top five or six, but when analyzing this year, unfortunately we missed the results of the top athletesWe need to start from this analysis and ensure that when the guys make an appointment, they are able to compete for a top 5. I think they have the talent to do so.
