Bora-Hansgrohe is going all-in with Primož Roglič to win the Tour: Can he do it?

Primož Roglič is determined to reach his peak performance as he sets his sights on claiming victory at this year’s Tour de France. The Slovenian cyclist is poised to lead the Bora-Hansgrohe team in the Grand Tour. Despite finishing as the runner-up in the 2020 edition and experiencing the disappointment of relinquishing the yellow jersey to compatriot Tadej Pogačar on the penultimate stage, Roglič is gearing up for another shot at glory.

Back to France

Having skipped the Tour in 2021 and 2022, and opting to participate in and win the Giro d’Italia, as well as podium at the Vuelta a España in 2023, Roglič is now turning his attention to the Tour de France. His primary goal is to excel in the event, which remains the only one among the three Grand Tours that has eluded him so far.

“I aim to be at my highest level for the Tour de France. I mean, we have a clear goal of what to work for, and it has to be the highest possible. Then it’s just about executing it, doing everything for it every day,” he said in Mallorca on Wednesday to Eurosport. “We shouldn’t be afraid; then the result is what it is, we can only do our best, then we can all be happy. The key point is going for the Tour de France.”

New team who dis?

During the off-season, Roglič transitioned to Bora-Hansgrohe after a seven-year tenure with Jumbo-Visma. The team behind Roglič is stacked as well–which they will need to take on Vingegaard’s squad. Bora-Hansgrohe performance manager Rolf Aldag said that Jay Hindley, the winner of the 2022 Giro, as well as Aleksandr Vlasov would be there to support Roglič. Matteo Sobrero would also most likely be on the team with riders like Danny van Poppel to help the Slovenian on the flat stages.

Bora-Hansgrohe: Change is good

He is excited for the change. “There are new guys, new stuff, and new challenges ahead. After all these years with the Jumbo-Visma team, joining Bora-Hansgrohe is a super welcome step for me,” he said. “I’m looking forward to training more with everyone. And to meet and speak to everyone, and then we’ll see out on the road how we go.”

In terms of beating his former teammate from Denmark, he said the strategy to do so is simple.

“There’s not much you have to do; you just have to be better than him,” he said. “You can talk a lot, but at the end of the day, you just have to finish ahead.”

A Dane and two Slovenians walk into an établissement in France

Vingegaard is definitely the man to beat given his past two victories, but his team could be quite different at this year’s Tour. There will be no Wout van Aert–who has been an invaluable lieutenant for Team Visma-Lease a Bike. And the Dane is not the only concern for Roglič. Tadej Pogačar is set to compete in the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, targeting both Grand Tours.

Pog’s 2023 season was stymied by a fractured wrist after crashing in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Despite a severely reduced preparation time, he was still impressive in France–albeit with one famous sans jour. If Pogačar has an incident-free spring, there may very well be a battle royale between not one, but two Slovenians. Oh…and then there’s Remco. The 2024 Tour de France may be something for the history books.