Roglic considers Red Bull strong enough for clash with Pogacar, with or without Evenepoel: "But where there is smoke, there is fire"

After eight years of serving Jumbo-Visma and its predecessors, the time was right for something else for Primoz Roglic in 2024. The Slovenian went for an adventure at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. His first year in his new squad was truly eventful: in the Tour de France, he dropped out in the middle of a battle for the podium, but moments later, he won the Vuelta a España. In 2025, a renewed Red Bull will have to compete against Tadej Pogacar.

Roglic tells FloBikes about his first season in German service. "It was a tough year; from the beginning of the season, it was difficult. From battling in Paris-Nice to crashing in the Basque Country... I had to start over and then build up to the Tour. Of course, I won the Dauphiné but crashed there too, so it wasn't the best preparation." After the disappointment of the Tour, there was a very welcome fourth overall win in the Vuelta. "I'm happy and very proud. It was a great time in the Vuelta. With a new team, and I loved our way of working, it felt very nice."

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is making significant progress: at least eight new riders will defend the team colors in 2025. There were also rumors of a ninth recruit: Remco Evenepoel would make the switch, said Michel Wuyts, among others. Roglic was very down-to-earth about that but somewhat confirmed the interest. "To be honest, I haven't thought about it. I already have enough challenges in daily life. If he is there, we can ask ourselves, "What next?" When I talked to Ralph, it was never a topic. But where there is smoke, there is fire. I don't know anything about the details, but there were conversations. We'll see."

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Roglic about "neighbor" Pogacar: "Feels like I'm doing something wrong"

Should Evenepoel come, the former ski jumper is not particularly concerned. He trusts in the strength of his team. "As with everything, there are positive and less positive things about it. But we are the team we are now. Even without Remco, we have some strong guys. With Jan (Tratnik, ed.), Lazkano, the two Van Dijke brothers from Visma | Lease a Bike.... The team is moving forward on all fronts."

Either way, the clash with Tadej Pogacar will be tough. The Tour winner had an unmatched season. "I'm hugely impressed, we all are. Hats off, it's impressive," the former Olympic time trial champion said of his compatriot. "You know how much it takes to win just one race. How he's doing it now makes it feel like I'm doing something wrong—all of us. We don't meet often, we don't go for a beer every weekend, but we're almost neighbors. We see each other frequently, and talking in your own language is always pleasant."

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