Now, he is focused on his first cycling race of the year. He explained that he has been working hard, even if he hasn’t been racing. “At the first race it is always difficult to estimate where you stand. It is not that I have only been on vacation the past few weeks,” he laughed. “I did an altitude training camp and was able to train well there. But now I am mostly just happy that I can race again.”
No guarantees on a familiar course
Roglic knows this race very well. He won the overall title in 2019 and 2023 when he was riding for Team Jumbo-Visma. Even though he is a favorite to win again, he says he is not feeling any stress about the results right now.
“Of course I always want to win. But to be honest, I am not that focused on results right now. The field of participants is strong and I am mostly looking forward to battling with all these guys again.”
When looking at the route, he thinks the later stages in the Marche region will be the most important. However, he knows his past victories will not help him today.
“The opening time trial will certainly play a role for the general classification, but I think the stages later in the week, in the Marche, will ultimately be decisive. That is also the terrain where I managed to win three stages in a row in 2023. So I am not complaining about this course. But what I won three years ago means nothing now. That offers no guarantee. We all start from zero again.”
Juan Ayuso won Tirreno Adriatico last year
Racing against the next generationAt 36 years old, Roglic is racing against a very young group of stars. Riders like 22-year-old Isaac del Toro and 21-year-old Paul Magnier are top favorites this week. But Roglic says racing against teenagers does not bother him at all.
“The rise of such young riders does not make me feel old. On the contrary, it rather makes me younger. I love competing against these guys.” He explained that once the race begins, nobody cares how old you are.
“As soon as we pin on a race number and the race starts, age means nothing anymore. Everyone starts from zero and has to prove themselves again. That is exactly the beauty of this sport: every single time you have to show what you are worth. Whether you are a young rider or have been around for years.”
Finally, Roglic talked about his new teammate, Remco Evenepoel, who joined the German team this season. Roglic believes having another superstar on the team is a great advantage. “With Remco, we have added a big name. This year he has already won a few races. For us, that is only a good thing. The more we win, the better. Moreover, it also takes some pressure off the other riders.”