Almost accidentally, Primoz Roglic raised his arms yesterday in the fifth stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico. His second victory in this edition, an unusual double in recent years. Excluding sprinters, without going any further, no runner had achieved it since 2014, when Alberto Contador signed it. “With two stage victories, I have already achieved more than I expected before coming here. One of the reasons that led us to add this race was the fact of being able to add kilometers with some of the teammates who will be by my side in the Giro (Wilco Kelderman, Koen Bouwman…). With them, we will do everything possible to defend this leader’s jersey”, said the Slovenian after crossing the finish line.
Roglic, who initially did not have Tirreno on his calendar, arrived in Italy after half a year of inactivity. On September 7, he abandoned La Vuelta after a hard fall in the 16th stage, when he tried to surprise a Remco Evenepoel dressed as a leader. The Slovenian was already having physical problems from the Tour de France and, after the mishap in the Spanish round, he underwent surgery on his left shoulder. Yesterday, without apparent effort, he made victory his routine again. On Thursday, he finished off with his prodigious finishing ability; in Sasotetto, he did it after finding an opportunity that, surely, he didn’t even look for.
Roglic, to complete the déjà vú
Two victories in two days and double Contador. The Spanish cyclist, in 2014, also won consecutively in stages 4 and 5, with finals in Cittareale and Guardiagrele, respectively. In the first of the two wins, the man from Pinto managed to get second overall16 seconds behind a Michal Kwiatkowski who claimed to have seen “the real Accountant”, the one who “changes pace and leaves you dead”; in the second, with an exhibition, he certified his victory in the race. With an attack 30 kilometers from the finish line, he finished off the Pole. Now, Roglic’s objective will be to complete the déjà vú.