'If I could choose one race to win, it would be the Tour' - Roglic not giving up on dream

Primož Roglič’s playful engagement with the fans on Montmartre on the final day of the Tour de France felt distinctly like a farewell, but the Slovenian isn’t ready to give up on the biggest bike race of them all just yet.

With Remco Evenepoel joining a Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe squad that also includes 2025 Tour podium finisher Florian Lipowitz, it’s not yet clear if Roglič will feature in the team next July. Speaking to L’Équipe at the Saitama Criterium, Roglič said that he was open to the prospect.

“It would be a great way to finish, or at least to conclude a chapter,” Roglič said of his Montmartre experience. “But, on the other hand, if I’m able to race the Tour, if I’m up to it, I’ll want to be there, because it’s the biggest race in the world and it’s pretty cool to be part of it. 

“I love the crowds, the support, the goal you set yourself to compete against the best riders in the world, where you can show your determination and who you are. It’s all a wonderful experience.”

Roglič is a four-time winner of the Vuelta a España and a Giro d’Italia champion, but his relationship with the Tour has been a vexed one. He lost the yellow jersey in harrowing circumstances to his compatriot Tadej Pogacar on the final weekend in 2020, and crashes would force him to abandon his next three tilts at the Tour.

There seemed to be a certain resignation in Roglič’s words before this year’s race, when he stated that winning the Tour wouldn’t change his life. He acknowledged, however, that it is the missing piece from his career.

“It’s the biggest race in the world, the major goal for everyone,” he said. “Everyone who takes up cycling does so because they’ve seen the Tour de France, not Catalunya [which Roglič won in 2025 – ed.] If I had to choose another race to win, it would obviously be the Tour, even though I’ve come close and that’s already great.”

Roglič turned 36 in October, and he is entering the final year of his contract at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. He has not yet put a date on retirement, but he is mindful that he is in the final phase of his career.

“If you look at the bigger picture, every day that passes is one day less in our lives. You can try to slow down time, but it passes,” Roglič said. “So yes, I try to enjoy it a little more. But if I look back a few years, when I was winning more, that was also a good feeling. Let’s just say that today, it’s a different kind of pleasure.”

Roglič’s race schedule for 2026 has yet to be divulged and there will be fierce competition for leadership opportunities on a stacked Red Bull roster. He said his first goal would be to “get back to [his] best form” and he hinted at a change in his training regimen.

“I have to be realistic. Last season, I didn’t win much, so first I have to get myself back in a position to win something,” he said. “Once I’ve done that, it won’t be a problem to choose this or that race. There are loads of them from January to October, and the team isn’t going to say, ‘No, no, you’re staying at home’ when I’m capable of winning. 

Last February, Roglič didn’t deign to shave his legs for his seasonal debut at the Volta ao Algarve, a move that raised eyebrows in a sport where teams increasingly push for every imaginable aerodynamic gain.

“Of course, things are getting crazy, and I may come across as a cyclist from prehistoric times, while some people want to shave every half hour to be aerodynamic...” Roglič said. “The world of cycling is changing, and it's incredible.”