It was a change of bike, but not yet a change of pink shirt. This can wait another 24 hours. Roglič was satisfied with his and the team’s performance on the royal stage, and it will not be easy to beat Thomas by at least 26 seconds on Saturday.
On the 19th stage of the Tour of Italy, Primož Roglič was in a good mood, he kept up with Geraint Thomas on all the passes (in the first half, due to the not the best rhythm, it wasn’t even that difficult), but at the end he tried to break him. But the Welshman continues to race exceptionally well, for the first time in this year’s Giro (500 meters below the top of the finish climb to Tre Cime di Laveredo) he himself attacked and forced Roglič to pass him. It turned out well (Roglič beat Thomas by three seconds), it could have been even better, if Roglič had been third and not fourth in the stage today, he would have gained four seconds.
Thomas looked exhausted, Roglič was smilingBefore the key stage, Saturday’s mountain time trial at Svete Višare, Thomas (today he looked more exhausted than Roglič at the finish line) has a 26-second lead over Roglič in the overall standings. The chances of third-placed Joao Almeida (almost a minute behind Thomas in total) seem very slim, especially since he could not keep up with the pace of the leading two in the last few days.
It’s easy to be smart from the couch“It will take quite a few seconds to get back, but it was good. We also raced well tactically, I was where I needed to be and I can be satisfied,” said Primož Roglič, who a few minutes after the end was already in the circle of his wife Lora and son Lev. To the remark that there were no attacks on the first climbs and that the rhythm was relatively slow, he replied: “It usually looks slow on TV, but the rider’s feelings are a little different after three weeks.“
Changing the wheel is part of the preparations for the time trialBefore the final climbs to Tre Croci and Tre Cime, Roglič changed his bike in Cortina and chose a model with a special gear ratio, which is of course more suitable for the slope. Was the wheel change planned? “Yes, basically. I changed to test this bike a little, how it works, this is also a preparation for tomorrow.“
Contador after climbing Višarje: Mamma mia!On Saturday, the Race across Italy will unfold on a mountain time trial, 18.5 kilometers long. An unprecedented spectacle for fans, hell for cyclists. Of course, not the first 10 kilometers, but when the road becomes upright and the cyclists have to deal with “ramps” of up to 22 percent and with sharp serpentines, the legs will suffer like never before in their life. “Mamma mia,” sighed former champion Alberto Contador at the top as he covered the slope for Eurosport.
Cycling holiday with many SloveniansRoglič will almost enjoy the advantage of the “home field”, he will have incredible support from the home fans. Already today there were a lot of Slovenian flags, and tomorrow a magnificent crowd of fans can be expected in the last 1500 meters of the route. “I can’t wait for it to start and to start. I will greatly enjoy this support.”
He will spend the night in Kranjska GoraMaybe Roglič will be given additional strength – a home night. Based on the parked escort vehicles of Jumba Visma, it can be concluded that Roglič will be sleeping in Kranjska Gora. And it’s clear – tomorrow he is determined to write a completely different story than at the Tour de France 2020, when Tadej Pogačar took the yellow jersey from him in the penultimate stage (mountain time trial on the Planche des Belles Filles). “Sure, I believe in a turnaround too.”
Source: Rtvslo
