S-Hertogenbosch, Service course of Jumbo Visma. Primois Roglic He wanders through the various rooms of the yellow-and-black headquarters as if he were at home, but in fact he is. The Slovenian has been part of this team since 2016. And he is a cornerstone: he was the one who brought the first major victories.
What is most noticeable is his attention to new materials, the proposals of new sponsors. Primoz asks a barrage of questions. He wants to know every detail. From clothing to bikes. Helpful, affable... when he's at the races, he's much more focused. We discover an unusual, but decidedly enjoyable, side of him.
The injury
We had left him after the fall at ReturnOnce again, a combination of bad luck and his aggressive racing style had presented him with a very high price. Yet another hard blow to the career of this boy who is otherwise tough like few others.
He has repeatedly reiterated that the 2020 Tour defeat is behind him, and that once you get over a shock like that, no fall can stop you. And speaking of shoulders, let's start with his left shoulder.
«How are you? Good now. – says Roglic – I'm starting to train slowly. It's been six weeks since the surgery. Every week is better, but it takes time. Finally the movement of the arm – and it imitates the circular gesture – is almost complete."
Primoz had already dislocated his shoulder at Tour de France, during the cobblestone stage. He'd put it back in place himself. And then he'd fallen on it again at the end of the 16th stage of the Vuelta. At that point, after a period of inactivity, around mid-October he was forced to undergo surgery.
But there are many doubts. And this is also why Primoz is holding back on plans and goals. For example, doctors have forbidden him from running, and he was a regular rider in his preparation. And it's not out of the question that he might have to rethink his position on the bike as well.
«On the position on the bike - He says - Let's hope we don't have to change anything, but for now I really don't know. They cut off a piece of bone from me, they put in screws that were a little too long and they came out on the other side, but they tell me it's even more fixed this way. I'll only find out when I start pedaling."
The recovery
For Roglic, it was a matter of rethinking his plans. Three months have passed since that crash. Three months in which he's reassessed his life. Going from dedicating many hours a day to cycling to nothing is no easy feat. It also requires a certain mental balance and the support of those around you. But in this case, Primoz had his family, his friends, his commitments. Even those with the Slovenian Olympic Committee, for which he effectively became a witness through the Cerar Foundation, managed by the Committee itself.
In the long chat with the Slovenian, the next season was also clearly discussed. Primoz expects a smooth start in March, also thanks to his injury.
"I have an idea about my start to the season," says Roglic, "but everything depends on how things go now with the recovery. Next year is a bit of a mystery to me. For now, I've only started doing very short rides again. Next week I'll have another checkup and see if they give me the green light to really get back on track. My goal for now is to be able to show up on December 11th for the retreat."
«But maybe all this is useful for something – he takes it philosophically – Maybe it'll be cooler in the summer. I have to be hopeful. For now, I'm happy with it. I have no pain. I couldn't swim, I couldn't sleep..."
Despite everything, despite the operation and the three months of stoppage, we point out to him that he is already very thin.
«I'm still an athlete – exclaims Primoz – I always have to be ready. And then it is also in the interest of the foundation (the Primoz Roglic Fundacija, ed.) which we created with my wife Laura, with whom we encourage and help young athletes to lead healthy lifestyles. I have to be an example."
On young people
Among the top riders, Roglic is the “oldest”: 33 years old. He finds himself fighting with people who are ten years younger than him, you see. evenepoel. And as we know today, it's not easy. These are kids born with different criteria, different training methods, and they're better able to exploit the freshness and explosiveness that their physique allows at that age. In short, winning is increasingly difficult, even for someone like him.
«The younger boys – says Roglic – sThey're coming, but that's true for everyone. A generation will come that will surpass them. I don't think about it much to be honest, I prefer to focus on myself, on my things and do them in the best way. There isn't one young man in particular who struck me. Today young people arrive and go strong in all sports, not just cycling."
The Tour in the lead
Primoz says he's always strived to be number one and gave it his all. It was the same when he was a ski jumper, and it's the same as a cyclist. But the "problem" arises when you've reached the top. Goals need to be recalibrated. For him, the main focus remains on the Tour de France, and not necessarily to see himself on the top step of the podium. Although he admits that when he started cycling he also dreamed of racing the Giro.
«Do I think I can still win the Tour? I don't see why not. At the end of my career,” Roglic explains, “I’ll draw a line and see what I’ve won and what I haven’t. I want to continue, and I want to do it while having fun. As long as I have this spark inside me to push me, I’ll keep going.
«One of the best days for me was the Col du Granon. It was great to be part of the team and part of that action. Sharing the shower with the guys, talking about it… I already knew that my attacks on the Galibier were only there to help. Jonas (vingegaard, ed.). And in the end, our plan worked out even better than we probably expected.
«Then it was painful to be at home while Jonas and the boys were fighting and winning the Tour, but I just couldn't keep going… otherwise I would have stayed in the race».
And the Giro?
Rumors have it that he is at the next street Giro d'Italia. Preparations are already underway for the Vuelta rematch against Evenepoel, but Primoz is not showing any signs of stopping. The route, with three individual time trials, is a perfect fit for him. Moreover, the last of the time trials is on Mount Lussari, just a stone's throw from his native Slovenia, and it's an area he knows well.
"I competed and won there," Primoz says, "when I was a ski jumper. And then I skied there. I don't know if I'll be ready for the Giro, we'll have to see how things go starting from next week's check-up. And from the programs we will decide."
When the Jumbo-Visma rider hears about the 71-kilometer time trial, he doesn't just focus on those. He makes it clear that the other routes are fine for him, too. Almost as if his pride was hurt and he wanted to tell us: "Hey, I'm not just a time trialist."
If the Tour is his obsession, the Giro is no less so: both due to its geographical proximity to Italy, and because this year it passes very close to his home, and because it was the first major Giro he rode in 2016.
He has been missing from the race since the edition of the "incident" with Nibali towards Courmayeur which opened the doors of paradise to carapazNeither player wanted to shoot, and the Ecuadorian took advantage. he was third anyway. That podium, the first in the Grand Tours, However, it gave him great awareness, so much so that in the autumn he won his first Vuelta. Now maybe he's ready for something else
