Primoz Roglic (Zagorje ob Savi, Slovenia, 31 years old) was the main protagonist of the closing ceremony of the 76th edition of La Vuelta. The winner of the general and the final clock remained amused and complicit with the public in the Plaza del Obradoiro, he was also moved during the interpretation of the Slovenian anthem (Galician bagpipe version) and even dressed as a pilgrim. All while his son waved the flag of his country on stage and the fans cheered him for the tremendous career he had made. He smiled at the accredited media.
Is your Lap the happiest?
Well, what I can say without a doubt is that I have enjoyed every moment and I take back beautiful memories from this race that I will keep for a lifetime. Every day of the race, of my stay in Spain, has been very pleasant.
He wins La Vuelta again after he had to withdraw from the Tour due to a fall.
In life there are always highs and lows. But I’ve learned that if you don’t sink in and pull forward, it all fits together perfectly in the end. In the Tour I had a bad moment, then in the Games a very good one and now in this Vuelta I have been able to enjoy daily.
When a fall like the one on the Tour occurs. How do you get over it?
I think I am a person who tries to turn the page very quickly. After the crash on the Tour, I honestly didn’t know if I was going to be able to go to the Olympics. I did it, I was there and I managed to win the gold medal in the chrono. Then I arrived to be able to be on the starting line of this Vuelta. All of these sacrifices are always best made if you are lucky enough to have the support of your loved ones. So everything is easier.
Do you think that you have a special capacity for recovery between each competition?
Recovery goes hand in hand with training. To get to the Tour de France in the best conditions, train a lot. But then before this Vuelta what he needed was a vacation. Being able to stop to set new goals for myself. I also think the key to getting ready is that I’m open to help.
It is the Vuelta with the greatest differences in the last 24 years.
Hard to believe. But to tell the truth, I’m not someone who looks at those kinds of statistics.
Will he return next year to be the first rider in history to win La Vuelta four times in a row?
I’m not planning anything. These last three years I did not plan it and I ended up here, so I am not going to regret it now. Although I am also a person who does not like to change things that are going well too much. I hope to return at some point.