Change is part of life" - Same Primoš Roglic on a new path to the Tour de France

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Change is part of life" - Same Primoš Roglic on a new path to the Tour de France

The team is new and still serious about the business of winning the Tour de France, but the self-deprecating attitude is resolute.

On Wednesday, before the questions began at Bora-Hansgrohe's media day in Mallorca, Primoš Roglic leaned over to sporting director Rolf Aldag and smiled conspiratorially." You talk a lot. I'm super happy just to sit here and smile and say "yes" and "no." ......"

Logrich's comfort in the spotlight has, of course, grown immeasurably since his first, hesitant interaction with fame upon his arrival on the world tour in 2016, and as one of the most impressive elements from Aldag's early weeks at Beulah Hansgrohe, He noted the communication skills of the Slovenians.

"Primoš speaks to everyone, is open to everyone, and suggests better things. 'No one else is that aggressive and outspoken. He's positive and gets everyone on board. This is not the usual way when a superstar comes to a new team."

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Ardagh also has Logrich on his mind with his novel approach to season planning. Instead of aiming to win the Tour de France, he changed his program to focus on the Tour de France.

In other words, success by July is not a goal in itself, but a byproduct of Tour preparation, and Aldag has little interest in measuring his progress against the likes of Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogachar, and Remco Evenpor before then. It is the Tour de France that he wants to clash with the "big four," Aldag explained, and Roglic supported him.

"The important thing is to go for the Tour de France. In everything in between, a good result would be a bonus or a plus," said Roglic. 'But mostly you need to be healthy and happy.'

Roglic will start the season in March with Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico. Ardagh has made it clear that he will compete in the Criterium du Dauphiné rather than the Tour de Suisse. Meanwhile, all of these races will be long at altitude. Aldag said, "Unfortunately for his family, he will be spending a lot of time somewhere in the volcano."

Roglic was forced to pull out of the Jumbo Visma last fall after finishing third in the Vuelta a España behind teammates Sepp Kuss and Vingegaard. Earlier that year, Roglic had won the Giro d'Italia, but was left out of the Tour.

"It's hard to pick a date or dates when I decided to move teams," he said. Right now I'm looking forward to starting a new chapter with a new team."

In July, when asked what it would take to beat his former teammate Wingegaard, Roglic was as honest as he could be.

"We can talk a lot about cycling, about power, about watts. That's my goal."

He was equally succinct when asked if his familiarity with the inner workings of the Visma-Lease A Bike would give Bora-Hansgrohe an advantage over Wingegaard, Kuss, and others at the Tour.

"It's silly to think about it now. We have to concentrate on our work and do what we can do. We are not managing Team Jumbo-Visma. We're not managing Team Jumbo-Visma, we're doing what they do."

Roglic brought some of Jumbo-Visma to Bora Hansgrohe. The Slovenian smiled when a Belgian reporter asked him how he felt about Wout van Aert losing his coach.

"Change is part of life," he said. For me he is important, not only in terms of training." He brings a lot of knowledge and information about everything, which makes the transition a little smoother, and since I've been working with him since the start of 2016, it feels more like home."

Beulah Hansgrohe released a rough outline of the Tour de France lineup on Wednesday. Daniel Martinez and Leonard Kemna could also be featured, depending on how they fare at the front of the pack in this year's Giro. At least on paper, Logrich will be flanked by teams that can compete with Visma and UAE Team Emirates.

"I'm confident," replied Roglic when asked in July about his prospects. 'I mean, we have a clear goal of what we're going for, and it has to be as high as we can possibly go. And then you have to put it into action and do everything you can to achieve it every day."

"Don't be afraid or nervous about the outcome or consequences. It will be what it will be. The important thing is to do your best every day. If you do that, everyone will definitely go home happy."

Roglic did not want to dwell too much on the Tour's complicated route, but admitted that the final day's time trial, which begins in his hometown of Monaco, has special significance, saying, "When the opportunity comes, you have to take it."

The 34-year-old said that the Grand Tour time Trial has seen both sides of the coin.

"I've had a lot of experiences in the last time trial," he said. I have to be positive, so I'm looking forward to it."

Roglic's relationship with the Tour has been complicated since his debut stage win in 2017. A year later, he slipped off the podium in the final time trial in the Basque Country, and in 2020 he suffered the agony of losing the yellow jersey to compatriot Tadej Pogacar in La Planche des Belle Filles. Meanwhile, his attempts in 2021 and 2022 were ruined by crashes, but Roglic insisted he had no attachment to the race.

"Not really. It's more like the cherry on the cake. 'You can't take away a victory that you already have. Of course, it's a shame that I won't be able to compete in the Tour, and it's a logical step to go full Tour. I am honored to have this opportunity.

Of course, it's just the beginning, but Roglic seems to have integrated well into the German team. Aldag explained that the new coach made an early impression when he recommended simplifying dinner options at the training camp: "He said that you don't need to eat five different salads at the buffet.

Roglic, on the other hand, can speak some German, having "spent the entire winter in a German-speaking country," which he developed during his ski jumping career. After Aldag asked about the prospect of Red Bull acquiring a 51% stake in the team, Roglic added his own kicker.

"Yes, Red Bull gives you wings," he said. If it had been the sport I used to do, I'd be very happy and I'd be flying a little more."

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