Nothing is yet decided for Primoz Roglič in 2025, but the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe veteran is already beginning to weigh up his options, including a possible return to the Giro d'Italia.
Speaking at a charity event in his native Slovenia, Roglič said recently that he was attracted by the strongly rumoured brace of Giro stages set to be held on his home soil next May.
He also jokingly added that he wished to avoid racing against Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), and it does seem unlikely that the 2024 Giro d'Italia winner will be back in the Italian Grand Tour. Next season Pogačar is said to be likely to skip the Giro and ride the Tour de France to win it for a fourth time. He has also been repeatedly rumoured as wanting to complete his 'set' of major stage races with a shot at the Vuelta a España. The 2025 Giro d'Italia, then, seems like a very unlikely repeat option for Pogačar.
This weekend, Roglič, on the other hand, sounded keen to head in the opposite direction and to judge by his comments, a return to the Giro d'Italia, which he won in 2023, certainly sounded possible.
Stages of the 2025 Giro are reportedly set to visit the city of Nova Gorica, northwest of the capital Ljubljana, according to Slovenian newspaper Siol. And after this weekend's charity event in the same Slovenian locality was attended by huge crowds, Roglic said "We can only imagine what it will be like here when the Giro comes, given what we experienced today."
Although Siol said Roglič was 'attracted' to the Giro, the newspaper also emphasized that he was yet to decide on his definitive race program, saying that first he would ease back and have some downtime before putting specific events on his 2025 calendar.
Regarding 2024 when he joined Red Bull after spending his career with Jumbo-Visma, results-wise Roglič said that he would happily settle for the season he had. Despite a difficult start in Paris-Nice being followed by bad crashes in the Itzulia Basque Country and Criterium du Daupiné and an even worse one in the Tour de France, Roglič still managed to secure the Dauphiné overall and the Vuelta a España for a record-equalling fourth time.
"It takes some time [in a new team] before you get to know all the riders and staff," Roglič said at the charity event. "Of course, it's really a completely new environment and you need time to get used to it. But considering everything that happened this year, I'm not going to complain."
"Given the start of the season and the whole load of inconveniences and setbacks we experienced, I would sign [on the dotted line] immediately."
As for withdrawing from Il Lombardia and his lowkey end to 2024, Roglič explained, "I simply came to the end, I really emptied the tank for this season."
"Everything was not exactly optimal and I was under a bit of pressure when I started the Vuelta… I just was not good enough anymore and it was necessary to finish the season, rest up and slowly look towards next year."
Roglič still had the appetite for some leisure bike riding this weekend, though, riding with 400 fans who signed up for his 59.3-kilometre 'Golden Circle' ride in Nova Gorica, a fundraiser event for the Primoz Roglič Foundation. Nearly €50,000 was collected for the Foundation, which works to promote the development of cycling among primary school children and sponsors promising junior athletes in various sports. The fundraising effort included an auction of some of Roglič's kit, with one wellwisher paying €2,500 for one of his helmets.
Roglič will return to racing with the professionals too, when he heads to the Far East to take part in the ASO-organised Singapore criterium on November 10.
Clearly in a good mood now his season is effectively over, Roglič also had time for some humour when discussing his race program for 2025, saying that he would do his best to avoid the all-conquering Pogačar.
"I will choose races where Tadej will not be there. We still have to agree on that," he joked.
However, should Roglič opt for the Giro and thereby miss out on a direct confrontation, he would have to face a showdown with Pogačar should they both do the Vuelta a España next August. Pogačar would be fighting for his first-ever Vuelta victory, Roglič for a record-breaking fifth.
