Roglic admits recovery doubt after Vuelta before Worlds

The Slovenian does not know what he has for Sunday's road race, and says the answer will only emerge on the day.

Roglič finished second overall at the Vuelta a España despite a badly disrupted build-up. Less than a month before the start, Roglič was hit by a car while training, suffering a major haematoma that forced him to replace a crucial part of his preparation with rehabilitation. He later said that just days before the race he had still been unable to train normally.

Twelve days after finishing the Vuelta, he leads his country in Montréal in the absence of Tadej Pogačar, who is out for the rest of the season after crashing out of that same race.

"It went exceptionally well for me," Roglič said in comments published by RTVSLO. "Now we'll see if I was successful and rested enough, or if I crossed that line a little and overtrained. Everything will be revealed on Sunday."

The Slovenian squad reconnoitred the circuit this week, and Roglič was not reassured by it. The road race covers 273.7 kilometres with 3,800 metres of climbing across twelve laps of a circuit almost identical to the one used by the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal.

"The lap was a challenging test, partly because of the fatigue after the long journey," he said. "I remember three laps, but the last two were a little worse. It will be interesting."

Roglič arrives in Montréal without any previous road racing experience in North America. His previous competitive experience on the continent came as a ski jumper, including a Continental Cup victory in Westby, Wisconsin, leaving him without the course familiarity several rivals gained from racing in Québec and Montréal earlier this month.

What Slovenia lack in numbers they will try to make up for in discipline. Without Pogačar, the squad is thin, and Roglič is clear that they will not be dictating anything.

"We have to focus on ourselves and try to do the best we can with the team. We have to do the things we agree on, and the legs will show what we will achieve together and compared to everyone else," he said.

Roglič's best result in the elite men's World Championship road race is sixth place in Imola in 2020. Last year in Kigali, he finished 11th as Pogačar claimed a second successive world title for Slovenia.