Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma) can look back on his 2019 season and give several reasons to be satisfied. From his first Grand Tour win to finishing the year atop the UCI rankings, the Slovenian was arguably the most consistent stage racer on the planet last year.

But the proudest moment for the 30-year-old was not when he won the Vuelta a España, but when he finished third in the Giro d'Italia in May, and according to the 2020 Tour de France (open in new tab) candidates, his podium in Milan was a testament to the many obstacles and setbacks he had to overcome. The number of obstacles and setbacks he had to overcome made it superior to any other result that year.

At Jumbo Visma's December training camp, Roglic gave an interview to Cyclingnews about the 2019 season and his plans for the year.

Roglic headed to the Giro d'Italia in good form last May, winning the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico, and Tour de Romandie in quick succession. After winning the opening time trial and taking the maglia rosa, his Giro got off to a perfect start and he was in second place overall until a crash on stage 13 dropped him to third place.

He then dropped back to fourth place, but finished on the podium behind Richard Calapaz and Vincenzo Nibali in the final time trial stage. In addition to the crash, he had to deal with a number of other factors, including his inexperience leading a Grand Tour team, tactical exposure to Carapaz's attacks, a rookie mistake in the team car by Jumbo Visma, and illness.

"It's hard to say what went wrong," Roglic told Cycling.

"But I still made the podium. My stomach wasn't feeling good. That was the biggest problem and I learned a lot from that, what to eat. After stage 13 I was never hungry."

"I'm much prouder to have finished third than to have won the Vuelta. Winning is nice, but it's not a big deal. To be on the podium in the Giro was a bigger achievement after all the problems we had as a team. I had to fight with myself in the Giro. I had to fight more. This race has been my goal since the beginning of the year, so I didn't want to quit. Quitting the race was not an option."

"I got better right away and from there I didn't want to slow down. I had some problems in the Giro, but I still managed to have an incredible season."

"I was very happy with my performance.

After the Giro, Roglic rested and competed in the Slovenian national time trial championships in June before returning in the Vuelta.

In a similar scenario to Simon Yates' Giro and Vuelta experiences in 2018, Roglic put into practice all the hard lessons he learned in May and earned his first Grand Tour success from Spain.

Unlike the Giro, he only took the lead after the first time trial on stage 10, but he held off the challenge of Alejandro Valverde and compatriot Tadej Pogacar and resolutely defended the leader's jersey.

"It was a great success and we all fought for what we achieved," he told Cycling News.

"When you start cycling, you start with the idea of one day winning a Grand Tour. Last year, for the first time, I started the season with the goal of winning a Grand Tour. [I learned a lot in the Giro. I learned a lot in the Giro. I was winning then, and it was no secret that I wanted to win the race, but it wasn't easy for me or the team. I think I learned a few things right away from that race and I hope to take that experience with me to new races. Every day, every stage, I learn more about the race and the tactics, and I always try to improve from the bad moments. "

After another year at the World Tour level, Roglic heads into 2020 with the pure ambition of winning the Tour de France in July. Jumbo Visma has decided to add the best Grand Tour rider to its lineup to break Team Ineos' dominance, and Roglic is realistically the best hope for the Dutch team.

New signing Tom Dumoulin has not raced since June due to a knee injury and is still recovering, while Tour de France podium finisher Steven Kruijswijk will split his time between the Tour de France and Vuelta a España.

For Roglic, being alongside Dumoulin in his own team is not a problem, and the Slovenian sees the benefit of having a Dutch rider from Team Sunweb.

"I don't think it complicates things. We all want to win, but we also want to be in a winning team. I have no problem working for him and I have no problem if he works for me. I think having him here will raise the bar for the rest of the team."

Regarding his own desire for the Tour, Roglic is confident, but far from arrogant.

"I think I can win and I want to win. Everyone dreams of winning the Tour, but I want to be part of the winning team. But I'm looking forward to it. I just have to be the best of the riders there. It's easy."