‘My heart also sank’ – Tadej Pogačar talks about his relationship with compatriot Primož Roglič and that 2020 Tour de France win

The Vuelta a España kicks off in Monaco in less than two weeks and the Spanish Grand Tour will see two Slovenian cycling superstars join battle once again.

Riding for Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, Primož Roglič is the race’s joint record winner, the 36-year-old winning consecutive editions between 2019 and 2021, adding a fourth red jersey in 2024. Tadej Pogačar made his Grand Tour debut at the race in 2019, winning three stages and finishing third overall. While the older man is the past master, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider has since developed into the Grand Tour phenom of the age.

Since Pogačar memorably usurped his compatriot on the penultimate stage of the 2020 Tour de France in the mountain time trial on La Planche des Belles Filles, he has won the yellow jersey four more times, equalling the record set by true legends of the sport.

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Ahead of their Spanish clash where both will be vying for GC honours, Pogačar has been talking about his relationship with Roglič in an interview with rtvslo.si, explaining how the shine was taken off that 2020 victory because it was Roglič whom he so memorably beat.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

“It was all strange, Primož had really been Slovenia’s number one cyclist for some time. He had won everything in a row and was already a legend back then,” Pogačar explained.

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“Everything was coming together for him right down to the last minute, the whole country and the fans were preparing for him to win the Tour. But I gave my all in the time trial and couldn’t do anything, I had no influence on how Primož rode. When I saw how he crossed the finish line, my heart also sank.

“I wasn’t as happy as I could have been, at that time I would have been completely satisfied with second place, I had mentally prepared myself for that in the days before, even though it was incomprehensible to me.

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“And when Primož Roglič crossed the finish line with a gap, I simply couldn’t believe it, and it was probably the same for the whole of Slovenia and the fans. It was hard for me too, but unfortunately we still have to remember that race. I always said that I should have been more happy then, but I was more down to earth.”

While his palmarès is hugely impressive, it’s not unfair to say that Roglič is no longer in his prime. The national time trial title is his only win of the season to date and he was far from prolific last season, with two stages and the GC at the Volta Catalunya his only visits to the top step of the podium, while before that it was his most recent overall victory at the Vuelta, in 2024.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Despite this, Pogačar continues to hold his compatriot in high regard.

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“Primož has proven that he is a top cyclist, that he is a legend of this sport. He has done a lot for cycling and for Slovenian sport. He is truly a man you can call a hero, a legend, he is an idol for all young cyclists, and that is exactly why I have always admired him.

“I remember when he rode the Giro for the first time and missed the stage victory in the time trial by less than a second. I said to myself that this was something incredible, but he has always surprised us since then. I hope that he will continue the performances he has shown in the past, and I wish that he will show good legs again.”

With both men lining up on the Vuelta start line in Monaco on Saturday, August 22, and Pogačar looking to add the red jersey to his Grand Tour haul, he’ll surely be hoping Roglič’s good legs don’t come too soon.

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