The Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma), triple winner of the Vuelta and Olympic time trial champion in 2021, tasted the honey of cycling in the season ended, but also the gall, as he suffered a new setback in the Tour de France due to a fall that forced him to withdraw.
That ninth stage of the Tour heading to Tignes was a serious setback for Roglic, but far from sinking, that mishap reactivated the Slovenian’s illusions, who pulled from the philosophy of overcoming himself in the face of adversity. The award was the Olympic title, the third red jersey of the Vuelta, the Giro de Emilia and the Milan-Turin.
Roglic (Trbovlje, 32 years old) has come to terms with the defeats and disappointments that have accompanied his many successes. It is about a runner who confesses in Cyclingnews as a cyclist who is not a “terminator”, but rather a cyclist who sees “difficulties as a challenge, not a problem.”
A cyclist who never gives up
“I like to see difficulties in life as a challenge rather than a problem. I believe that careers and life go well when you live this way. What is happening in the world has reminded us all that we have to enjoy life. If I did not enjoy running, training and feeling the pain and suffering that it entails, I would do something else, because I need to be happy in life, “says the gold medalist in the Tokyo chrono.
With a reputation for little talkative and difficult smile, Roglic’s expression manifests itself on the road, where he often speaks loud and clear.
“I’m not the type to talk loud and show off. In our sport, you have to show what you can do on the road, with your legs, not on television. I think I’m getting some kind of message about never giving up, and I think people appreciate it. “
Roglic, a ski jumper until 2012, started cycling at the age of 23. Starting from scratch, his progression was meteoric since he showed the technicians of his country that he could become a professional cyclist, a company that was not easy.
“I think I have grown in many ways over the last few years. My career has developed very quickly. I was late to cycling, a different sport than the one I practiced. and I had to learn everything in an accelerated way. You have to learn to ride a bicycle and, in my case, I needed to learn to suffer, “he explains.
Pogacar is inspiration, not despair
Roglic highlights his three consecutive victories in the Vuelta, it proves that it does not usually enter their plans at the beginning of the season. This year, he says, he enjoyed it “from start to finish.”
Now, and after getting married, Roglic is already thinking of starting the preseason in Spain next December and aiming for the Tour de France again.
“I want to go back to the Tour and try to win it, but as I’ve learned, if you don’t win the Tour, it’s not the end of the world. Life goes on, even if I never win the Tour. “
The presence of his compatriot and rival Tadej Pogacar does not suppose a trauma for Roglic, who sees in it an advantage rather than a disadvantage.
“There are always very good riders in the Tour de France and if you want to win it, you have to beat them all. That is simply the rule of cycling and the Tour. If it weren’t Tadej, then the big favorite would be Egan Bernal or someone else. Tadej is an inspiration, not a cause for despair. He is challenging for me and for all of us, I am grateful for that. “
