'I'd like to be home for a while' - Roglic confirms Tour de France absence

Primož Roglič’s programme was already outlined at the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe media day in Mallorca in December, and Remco Evenepoel’s subdued showing at last month’s UAE Tour hasn’t prompted a rethink: the Slovenian will not ride the Tour de France in 2026.

Indeed, Roglič’s schedule is currently a sparse one, and he has indicated that he will have a long period without racing before he leads Red Bull at the Vuelta a España, where he is chasing a fifth overall victory.

Roglič started his season at this week’s Tirreno-Adriatico, where he is set to finish fifth overall, while his next outing will be at Itzulia Basque Country. 

He is also scheduled to race the Tour de Romandie in late April alongside Florian Lipowitz, but, as things stand, there are no further races confirmed on his calendar until the Vuelta, which gets under way on August 22.

Speaking to Slovenian radio station Val 202, Roglič confirmed his absence from the Tour, where Evenepoel and Lipowitz will lead the Red Bull challenge. 

“In the end, we all have to coordinate our programmes,” Roglič said. “It’s okay, I’d like to be home for a while. I’ve been away for a long time. I’d like to spend some time with my family.”

Roglič was typically philosophical about his place in the firmament of galacticos at Red Bull this year, where opportunities to lead are at a premium. At Tirreno, for instance, he rode primarily in support of Giulio Pellizzari, who will be Red Bull’s co-leader at the Giro d’Italia alongside Jai Hindley.

The 36-year-old joined Red Bull ahead of the 2024 season to lead their Tour de France challenge, but he has endured two difficult Julys in their colours. He crashed out of the 2024 Tour, while he had to settle for eighth in 2025, with Lipowitz and the new arrival Evenepoel now ahead of him in the depth chart of GC leaders.

“It’s part of life,” Roglič said of his changed status at Red Bull. “You are born once, and then things change throughout life. These are the periods. It is difficult to highlight which one is the best, but we have to enjoy each one.” 

Roglič has been a consistent performer across his first week of racing at Tirreno-Adriatico, though he dropped from fourth to fifth overall following Saturday’s stiff finale in his teammate Pellizzari’s hometown of Camerino.

“Maybe I would have liked to be even further ahead, but the last climb was difficult,” Roglič said. “But it’s good, we started this year’s season. Now we have to analyse this race and set it up well for the future.”