Teammate Roglic silences critics: "Winning the Vuelta was considered a downside"

In 2024, Slovenia ruled the cycling world. While Tadej Pogacar won the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, his compatriot Primoz Roglic claimed victory in the Vuelta a España for the fourth time. However, the gap between the two star riders was significant, although some see it differently. Roger Adrià, Roglic's teammate at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, believes that his leader will have the final say in 2025.

In the Tour de France, Roglic, before his crash, quickly fell behind the yellow jersey holder Pogacar. But Adrià does not think Roglic's best days are over. "I don't believe that at all," he told Marca. "I feel like winning the Dauphiné and the Vuelta a España is being seen as a downside. In the Vuelta a España, he delivered his best numbers. He was flying. So, I think he will still be just as competitive in the future as he is now. He will do everything to be at his best."

In 2025, the German team will have to measure itself against top-tier teams like UAE Team Emirates and Visma | Lease a Bike. "I think that with Red Bull's arrival, the budget increase will put us in that fight," the 26-year-old Spaniard said openly. "Until recently, the team was very focused on the classics with Peter Sagan, and now a squad is being formed for grand tours. I believe it's a team with a lot of potential for the future. The transfers are also good: not only riders but also high-level staff. I think we will become the reference team in cycling in the future."

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Adrià aims to shine in the spring: "The Ardennes and Flemish classics"

And Adrià’s own ambitions? He had an excellent debut season in the WorldTour. "My goal for the first part of the season is to focus on the Ardennes classics. First, we'll do several altitude training camps and some preparatory races, such as in the Basque Country and Catalonia, to arrive in the best shape. But before that, I also want to try some Flemish classics. Maybe not immediately Flanders, but a few second-tier races to see how I perform there, as I also enjoy those races." The highlight for Adrià in 2024 was winning atop the Citadel of Namur in the GP Wallonia.

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