Optimistic but realistic: Roglic laughs off tooth problem, Aldag "Not yet certain" after Slovenian's injury

Tuesday marks the first real test of this Vuelta a España, with a finish on the Pico Villuercas. For Primoz Roglic, who is returning from a spinal fracture, this is the first major checkpoint after he made it to the Gran Salida in Lisbon following a race against time. IDLProCycling.com caught up with the Slovenian and his sports director, Rolf Aldag.

It’s understandable that the Slovenian already passed his first test on Saturday, with the 12-kilometer time trial between Lisbon and Oeiras. Roglic finished eighth in his comeback, but didn’t immediately feel like commenting afterward. Likely to avoid the throng of supporters, he disappeared with a quick "thanks guys," like a thief in the night.

The day after, the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe leader, who had mentioned before the race that he was still experiencing back pain, took the time to express his thoughts. "I was happy with my result. It was a fast time trial, so I’m glad I had the speed. Now I’m looking forward to the important stages ahead. It gave me some motivation. Of course, it’s just the first stage, and it was only ten kilometers, but still, I’m very pleased. Now we need to see how things go on the road bike, but in the end, the Vuelta will be decided in the mountains."

In the Tour, Roglic suffered falls during the intermediate stages, which also happened to him in the Critérium du Dauphiné. How will Roglic and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe tackle this issue in the Vuelta? "The end of the race is definitely more suited to the GC contenders, but we need to stay sharp and race at the front from now on."

Just before the Vuelta, Roglic unexpectedly posted a photo from the dentist’s chair, adding his signature humor to the situation. "My tooth fell out, but they managed to put it back in. Marginal gains, huh? It’s one gram less, but we decided to put it back for the flat stages. It’s more aero. Thanks, guys," the cheerful Slovenian joked.

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Aldag relieved by the presence of Roglic and Vlasov

The past few weeks have been tense, not just for the Slovenian himself. The sports division at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, including Rolf Aldag, Dan Lorang, Marc Lamberts, and CEO Ralph Denk, was constantly focused on the Roglic situation. To get a sense of their mood, we spoke with the always candid Aldag.

Rolf, how relieved are you that the Vuelta has started with both Primoz and Aleks at the start?

"It's good, but we have to be honest: we're aiming high, but the circumstances are not ideal. It would be foolish to expect someone with a spinal fracture and someone with a broken ankle to be perfectly ready for a grand tour within four weeks. But it’s better to have them here than not."

Can you tell me about the process over the last few weeks?

"You can never be certain after such injuries. Both of them did everything they could to make it to the start, but there was always a chance that Primoz's back pain could return during the final training session. If that had happened, we would have had to pull him out. The goal was to have him start, but we knew there would be many hurdles along the way.

It’s a step-by-step process. You start with the goal, but first, he has to recover. If the recovery goes well, you can start thinking about training. If he responds positively to that, then you can think about building form. And you don’t bring a three-time winner here just for the sake of starting. If we didn’t see a realistic chance, we wouldn’t have done it. That’s the mindset we maintain."

Is there still an option on the table to reassess after a certain period, say nine stages into this Vuelta?

"We don't plan it that way, but again, someone like Primoz is not here just to sign in at the start. For now, our goal is to get both Primoz and Aleks to Madrid."

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Do you see in this recovery process that Primoz is truly an elite-level athlete?

"That’s true for many athletes. The way they recover… it’s incredible. From the team car, you see them, metaphorically speaking, shattered into a million pieces. And you think: we won’t see them back this year.

But they manage to pull themselves together. They get back on the bike and continue. It’s hard for people outside the sport to understand, but I believe it too. You see in them how amazing a well-trained body is."

How did this go leading up to the Vuelta?

"When I heard we were going to the Vuelta with Aleks, I thought: no way? But we have excellent doctors, and if they say it’s possible, then I believe them. But it also comes down to the motivation of the athletes. A long time ago, I experienced something similar. I broke my leg, and another guy at the physio had the same injury. He got so angry at me because he couldn’t believe I was already back on the bike so soon. He didn’t believe it at all.

There’s a fundamental difference. An athlete grits their teeth and pushes through, while an ‘ordinary’ person would have stopped long before. And that’s understandable because a cyclist’s career is limited. They know they only have a certain window of time. That’s why these risks might be considered justified."