Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe has formed a superteam capable of matching and perhaps realistically challenging UAE and Visma for victory at the Tour de France. But now all of the pieces have to fit together, and that includes several leaders who have their own personal ambitions. Primoz Roglic talks about his relationship with Remco Evenepoel, which he hopes to evolve soon at a team camp.
The two have met, now as teammates, at a recent camp in Germany, but it was only a brief stint of days where the focus was on the group. Evenepoel and several of the team’s new riders have since travelled to the USA for wind tunnel testing, whilst the off-season is also on full speed for most. Roglic has sat down with Marca to have a conversation on his ambitions as well as his teammates, but not just that, in a separate interview with La Dernière Heure.
“The challenge isn’t really about how we work together, but rather about how we can win a Grand Tour,” Roglic said of BORA who now has multiple high-level weapons to pressure Tadej Pogacar’s UAE. “When you look at the steps UAE are taking, we have to think about how to beat them”.
Asked about Remco Evenepoel, the veteran gave details on a brief encounter: “We saw each other, we chatted a bit, but it wasn’t a long talk. Those days are always busy and time is limited. I think that will change during our first training camp in December.” This will happen in Mallorca, with the two riders set to engage with the media on the 10th of December.
Roglic eager for proper conversation
“It would not be fair to form an opinion based on that first meeting. He’s a good guy, but we haven’t had a fantastic evening together yet. I can feel that he is very enthusiastic about joining us. He’s still young but has already won a lot of races, and he has an approach that explains that success.”
It will be an interesting combination between two riders who’ve been direct rivals for several years, most notably at the 2022 Vuelta a España where the two fiercely battled for the red jersey until Roglic crashed out of the race in the final week.
But Roglic isn’t just going to sit back and let all of the responsibility on the shoulders of the team’s younger leaders, and shares an interesting remark: “I’m quite a private person by nature, but given my position and my background, I believe it’s my responsibility to take on some leadership off the bike as well.”