Back then, in the month of May, Primoz Roglic climbed to the top from the podium in Rome. A few months later, in late July, his partner in the jumbo, Jonas Vingegaard, did the same in the Tour de France, in his case for the second consecutive year. Now the two are at the Vuelta, which starts today in Barcelona, and will start as two of the big favourites. Maybe most, especially. But is there a leader among them? You insist and repeat the same thing: no.
The way will decide, or if they have to decide, it will be later, as they think it is early. “It is important that the team wins,” they answer the repeated question. And there is the challenge of something unprecedented: for the same team to win the three grand tours in the same year. And if he succeeds, there is a high probability that one of them will be repeated this year … Although Roglic theoretically joked that Kuss could be a leader too. The American is a special case as he will be playing his third major this year and is a mainstay of the team.
“Every year the Vuelta offers spectacular stages. Normally these are intense days from the start. At this race, drivers don’t wait until the last week to attack, which makes it more interesting,” says Roglic, a three-time champion of the event. The ceiling is located in four conquests in La Vueltaand the Slovenian, like a year ago, is a step away from it.
The Roglic-Vingegaard binomial
It is Jonas Vingegaard’s second participation in the race after his debut in 2020, which has nothing to do with the runner he is currently. As Roglic’s social companion, he plays an important role on the road to Angliru, climax to which it returns this year. “It’s a tough edition with stages that will suit us. We’ll have to see how I do in the first week. It’s always hard to predict how your legs will feel after the break. I’m fine now and I’m excited to see how my body will react in the early stages,” said the two-time Tour champion, who hasn’t worn a number since his coronation in Paris.
Regarding the connection between the two, Roglic highlights the good results in their competitions together: “At the Vuelta, at the Dauphiné… we showed that we work well together.” An almost unique opportunity for the Dutch team and with a sponsor, the supermarket chain Jumbo, His contract ends in 2024. You will not follow.