Speaking to British broadcaster, ITV, ahead of the start of the 2025 Tour de France, four-time Vuelta a España winner Primož Roglič said that he did not care whether he won the race or not.
“I don’t really care, you know. I’m f*cking proud of my career,” were the exact words from the Slovenian champion, quintessentially blunt and honest.
The statement itself is fair enough. Roglič is right that he has achieved more in his career than most riders could dream of – the Vuelta wins, the Giro d'Italia victory and general classifications in virtually every single major one-week stage race – but one thing has always eluded him: the yellow jersey at the Tour.
For a while, it seemed like the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider would always have the drive to chase that victory, succumbing to his desperate ambition of standing on the top step of the podium in Paris – a dream which has seemed both so painfully in reach yet so far away at the same time. This year, however, it seems that the dream has started to die.
In his pre-race press conference, Roglič told the media: “We all know the Tour de France is unfinished business but winning it or not winning it will not turn my life around. I’m nearly 36-years-old. Proud and happy to come and be a part of this race still. I’m enjoying it.”
Image: ASO
Although we can commend Roglič for his honesty and reflection, as well as his ability to appreciate the gravity of his achievements in a way that plenty of sportspeople cannot, the reality is that bike racers like him are paid to win. When Red Bull bought a controlling stake in Bora-Hansgrohe just over two years ago, the Austrian company – which has a 42% market share in the space it occupies – entered professional cycling with the dream of sponsoring the very best. The Tour de France is the biggest stage of them all, with wins offering tenfold more return on investment compared to every other bike race. Roglič is rumoured to be amongst the top-five highest-paid cyclists in the WorldTour, earning a base salary of €4.5 million. His high-profile move from Jumbo-Visma to the Red Bull-backed team sparked headlines and a pay rise in 2023.
With this in mind, how does it sit with the team that has invested so much in him that Roglič has openly announced his lack of ambition for victory in this year’s Tour de France? The team’s head sports director, Rolf Aldag, told Rouleur after stage two: “I think it's just his way to deal with the situation right now. We have seen a couple of DNFs due to crashes and I do believe that it is good to stay away from that pressure and not apply that pressure to yourself – the public already puts enough pressure and the fans obviously have big expectations on a guy who finished on the Grand Tour podium. I think it's probably pretty good to talk himself into thinking he will do his best and the outcome will be the outcome.”
The German explained that the team’s approach to the Tour this year has been about trying to relieve Roglič of any additional pressure, in the hope that this could make him calmer than in years past.
“I personally am not a huge fan of making the guy responsible for the results also being the guy guiding the team on the road all the time because that is a double burden for him,” Aldag said. “With Gianni Moscon we have a very experienced guy so we have him guiding on the road and Primož focusing on his competitors.”
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He was also keen to stress the importance and potential of Florian Lipowitz, the team’s talented young climber who recently finished in third place at the Critérium du Dauphiné. Although Aldag toed the party line that Lipowitz and Roglič are at this Tour de France as co-team leaders, the younger rider’s form has already been apparent in the first few stages of the race. Lipowitz attacked in the punchy finale on Sunday, and although this didn’t end up leading to results, it was proof of the 24-year-old’s confidence and ability.
“He just used the opportunity. It was a little bit jumping left and right, and he came with speed from behind, and then he used it. I think what really spoke positively about his shape was that he could still stay in the group after he was brought back because that’s normally the horror scenario when you attack and you're hanging 50 metres in front then they catch you and you go out the back of the bunch,” Aldag analysed afterwards.
“And why not? We came here with him as the wingman of Roglič, he’s next to him, and then we use the opportunity. I do think we want to be part of the first 10 days, but we didn't do well yesterday [on stage one]. We avoided pressure and major losses, but we want to be sprinting for the victories. We’re also here to entertain the fans.”
Entertainment is one thing, but Aldag is surely aware that results speak louder than anything else in this sport. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe management certainly seem to know this – it was recently reported by Escape Collective that they are going to be signing Remco Evenepoel from Soudal Quick-Step for the 2026 season. If this comes to be true, then it will be the final assurance that Red Bull have lost hope in Roglič as a Tour winner, and they are looking at new, younger riders to try and make their dreams of yellow come true. Despite this harsh reality, Aldag stressed that his team will never be disappointed in the time Roglič has spent with them.
“I think it would be completely crazy to be disappointed with Primož,” Aldag said. “With Pogačar and Vingegaard at their level, it would be crazy to be disappointed. To be disappointed with winning the Vuelta after the crashes and injuries he’s had? He has come back and been a role model for kids, he still wins bike races, he won Catalonia this year. I think that it would be crazy to be disappointed with a sportsperson like that.
Cover image: ASO
