It’s rare that you see Primož Roglič vexed and angry. Frustrated, yes – he’s had too many Tours de France spoiled by crashes and heartbreaking defeats not to be visibly sour –  but irritated and aggrieved are not part of his character. After stage three of the Volta a Catalunya, though, where Roglič was Roglified by Juan Ayuso at La Molina, a finishing climb seemingly designed by Roglič Architects, the Slovenian cut a picture of indignation. No post-race debrief with the media, barely a word muttered to his teammates. In the grand scheme of things, losing an uphill sprint to Ayuso in what is essentially a warm-up race for the Giro d’Italia didn’t matter, but Roglič was evidently bitter and annoyed. And those feelings were directed at himself, because even though he’s in the twilight of his storied career – he turned 35 in October – he’s not slowing down, and he’s not becoming any less of a competitor. He’s still here to win, and win a lot.

And so over the following four days, Roglič bested Ayuso in another uphill sprint in Montserrat, and then in a daring and adventurous move that he is not so known for, he attacked 21km from the line in Barcelona to win the Catalan race for the second time in three years, overturning a one second deficit to Ayuso to beat the Spaniard by 28 seconds. A few days before, he said he and Ayuso were “equal” and he reiterated that thought after his latest GC victory, insisting that “this win doesn’t really influence the outcome of the Giro.” But make no mistake: Roglič is now the favourite for the Giro, and despite his advancing years, the four-time Vuelta a España winner is as strong as ever.

This article was published by Rouleur in March 2025. You can read the full article here.