Tour de France: Does Primoz Roglic still have what it takes?

One of this year’s second tier of favourites, Primož Roglič has given a series of downbeat interviews suggesting a lack of conviction in his chances at this year’s Tour de France.

The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe star ranks alongside the likes of Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-step) in a second tier of riders likely to fight for the podium, with nailed on favourites, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) sharing the top steps. Both himself and Evenepoel lost time on stage one, but the Roglič’s attitude has been considerably less bullish than his Belgian counterpart.

Before the Tour, his team was upbeat about the Slovenian’s chances; “When Primož Roglič lines up for a Grand Tour, the podium is always the goal,” said the German squad’s head of sport, Rolf Aldag.

But the rider has seemed surprisingly downbeat. “If I’m honest, I don’t care, you know really,” Roglič told ITV Cycling. “Having 10 Tour de Frances or one or no, with my phase of career you know it will not change it. I won some races, I mean I’m f**king proud, so I try to enjoy it.”

Roglič had touched on the same theme in his press conference ahead of the Grand Depart.

“We all know which races I have won and which races I haven’t won," he said. "With the Tour de France, I have a bit of unfinished business but on the other hand winning it or not winning it… I’m 36 years old, so winning it won’t change my life.”

One of the best stage racers of his generation, Roglič could be among those described as the best never to have won the Tour. It’s not for lack of trying though. He can closest in 2020, capitulating on the penultimate stage mountain time trial to La Planche des Belles Filles, losing 1.56 to Pogačar, dropping from the race lead to finish second overall. 

With four GC wins at the Vuelta, one at the Giro and a host of victories at top quality races, his palmarès is the envy of the vast majority of professionals, but the Tour has been somewhat of a nemesis, having failed to finish the last three editions he started.

After the stage one time loss the team seemed relatively unconcerned. “The stage didn’t go perfectly, but Primoz still finished alongside several other GC contenders. We consciously chose not to take risks,” Aldag said. 

Stage two was an improvement, on the feisty, technical finish of stage two in Boulogne he finished safely in the leading group, even if he was close to the back. However, his post race comments were curious, telling the Slovenian media; “I didn’t have the desire to go any faster.”

Roglič is a champion, of that there is no argument. He’s lost time in grand tours before and ground his way back to victory, just look at last year’s Vuelta. But Vignegaard and Pogačar are highly unlikely to allow that at this year’s Tour, and overall victory seems far away.

Maybe Roglič is just being realistic in his dealings with the press, he’s known for that. Perhaps he’s trying to divert attention from himself. His words may also be those of someone who knows time’s up, his contract is up at the end of the year, and perhaps he knows it's his last.