Roglic responds to time penalty and emphasizes key point for final week of Vuelta: "This is how you keep the wheel turning"

Let’s first revisit Sunday, which was quite a dramatic day for Roglic. Along with Enric Mas (Movistar), he managed to break away from leader Ben O'Connor and the other general classification contenders, but a drafting violation after a planned bike change earned him a 20-second time penalty.

The penalty was only announced by the jury after the stage, so Roglic was able to address it on Monday when asked by IDLProCycling.com. "I can't change it, so I have to accept it. It is what it is, and of course, I would have preferred it hadn't happened, but here we are. It’s not ideal to have an extra twenty seconds to make up. But there's no point dwelling on it now."

Roglic explained that his bike change before Ciutu Negru was planned. "But it didn’t go as expected because, with that time penalty, we lost more than we gained," Roglic said with a laugh. "I wanted lighter gears to make the steeper sections easier, but looking back, I wouldn't do it again. Sometimes, though, you have to try different things, even if they don't always pay off."

As for the final week, Roglic is starting with a 1:03 minute deficit to O'Connor, the Australian from Decathlon AG2R. "Ben is in great form, that’s for sure. He's a fantastic rider and has already achieved strong results in the past," Roglic said about his main competitor. "We’re in a better position than we were last week, but we’re still up against a strong rival." Last week, Roglic was nearly four minutes behind.

Roglic knows his goal, of course: to reclaim the red jersey. "But it's hard to predict. We are heading into the third week, but so far things are going well. In fact, it's going great. I'm still performing well, and I feel positive about it. But it's not just about me; we also have to consider my team and all the other riders in the peloton," he says. "Also, it's unpredictable. Sometimes you gain time when you least expect it, and sometimes there are no gaps when you expect differences. One thing is certain: we will keep doing our best until Sunday."

Alongside Roglic, his teammate Florian Lipowitz is also doing well in the general classification, with the German wearing the white jersey. "He is flying. This is the first time I've raced with him, but he's already shown how good he is. He’s showing it again here, so it's great to have him with me in the Vuelta."

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe currently holds the white jersey, and Aleksandr Vlasov also got his chance to go for the stage win on Sunday. These things are important for Roglic. "We talk, we have fun. It doesn't always work out, but by talking, you keep the wheels turning. It also keeps things from getting more complicated than they are, because, in the end, cycling is mainly about having fun."

As a three-time winner and six-time participant, Roglic knows how to handle the final week of the Vuelta. "Of all the grand tours, this race probably suits me best. But that doesn't mean I'm comfortable with it now or anything. I'm trying to enjoy the position I'm in and the fact that we can get the best out of ourselves."

Lastly, he was asked if, at 34—turning 35 in October—he is starting to feel his age physically. "Please, don't ask this. I still feel like I'm 18," Roglic replied wittily. "It's not like it was fifteen years ago. The older you get, the more things hurt when you wake up. The fact that I can still compete with these young guys makes me proud. In a way, it also keeps me young, so I want to keep doing this for a while longer."