The twelfth stage of the Tour de France was the day of Biniam Girmay's third stage victory, but above all, it was the day when Primoz Roglic lost his chance in the Tour classification due to a severe crash. The Slovenian from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe crossed the finish line severely battered and fears for his continuation in the Tour. His competitors and former teammates primarily thought of him in their interviews.
Tadej Pogacar had advised Remco Evenepoel the day before not to worry too much about Roglic, but he did not foresee his compatriot ending up in such a condition the next day. "We heard the crash, but I couldn’t see who fell due to the stress. After the finish, I heard that Primoz was involved and that’s obviously terrible. He was in good form, fighting for it, and I saw him improving throughout the stages," said Pogacar. "It's very sad, I hope he’s okay and that he can make a comeback."
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Evenepoel and Van Aert also sympathize with Roglic
Evenepoel also reacted to Roglic's fall when speaking with the organizers. The Belgian was competing with him for a podium spot in this Tour but now seems not to have to worry about him anymore. "My feeling? It's mixed. You never want to see anyone fall, especially not someone who is competing for the podium. I hope Primoz recovers well and can continue," Sporza quoted the white jersey wearer as saying. "You never want to experience something like this yourself, and you don't want it for your direct competitor either. That's why there's always a fight among the GC riders for the best spots. Anything can happen. This shows that there are no rest days for the GC men."
"I empathize with him," responded Wout van Aert about his former teammate from Visma | Lease a Bike. "He's already faced so many setbacks, the classification should not be decided in such stages. In the finale, we passed through several towns with dangerously narrow middle sections. Only the first was well marked, so there could be better signage. I hope Primoz can continue."
