Will Primož Roglič appear at the Tour de France despite the injury?

Primož Roglič has become one of the world’s top cycling stars. In recent years, as part of the Dutch team Jumbo-Visma, with which Slovenian Tourist Board has been collaborating closely, the Slovenian cycling ace has proven that he is the best road cyclist in the worldAlthough his plans were cut short by an unfortunate fall, which led to the entire cycling world wondering if he’d make it to the Tour de France, we can now happily announce that we will be able to cheer for our champion in the most prestigious stage race in the world, starting on Saturday, August 29th.

The story of the Slovenian Eagle, as he is called by many, is completely out of the ordinary, as he is the first former ski jumper to climb several Mount Olympuses in only a few years of professional cycling. After finishing first overall at the Vuelta a Espana and third overall at the Giro d'Italia last year, all eyes were on him. He again showed excellent form at the Tour de l'Ain, returning in style to the top of the cycling caravan, as a born winner, after the coronavirus pandemic. He also dominated at the Critérium du Dauphiné, where the fatal fall happened.

SUCCESSES OF SLOVENIAN ARROW ON BICYCLE

His partner, Lora Klinec, has described what goes on behind the scenes and the emotions from Primož's greatest races and wins, full of ups and downs, in her first book, entitled Kilometre 0, which was presented this week. It is because of Primož’s top form that winning the prestigious Tour de France race has been set as the main goal for this year. The race is just around the corner and Primož leads the individual ranking of the UCI umbrella association. But unfortunately, he has not been able to carry out the final preparations for the race because of the injury, which has put a question mark over his appearance at the Tour.

Already achieving the third overall place at the Giro d'Italia in 2019, the Slovenian Eagle has thrown the gauntlet at the world cycling elite. After three weeks of battles, the race ended with a spectacular time trial in Verona. Making the most headlines was the overall win at Vuelta a Espana in September 2019, which has finally solidified his reputation as the best road cyclist in the world.

He became the first Slovenian with an overall win at a Ground Tour, one of the three major three-week-long cycling races. This year he became the new national champion in road cycling. He won the title for the first time in his career in June on a 146-kilometre route finishing in Cerklje na Gorenjskem. In August, he confirmed the top form at the Tour de l'Ain, before he participated in the Critérium du Dauphiné. The quarantine did not stop him in his preparations and his strong will to continue with the top results from the previous season.

HE STARTED AS AN EAGLE ABOVE PLANICA

In Slovenia, the green heart of Europe, nature is always within your reach. The importance of being active in fresh air is something that Slovenians learn from birth. An incredible number of sport super-heroes, for whom Slovenia is recognised in the word, train between the Alps, the Mediterranean and the Pannonian plains. Listen to what Primož has to say about this diverse and beautiful often called European hidden gem and how he addresses his fans.

In addition to focus, determination and discipline, the thing that makes Primož Roglič tougher on his victorious sport path are also falls. More than ten years ago he suffered a nasty fall on the famous Planica ski flying hill, where the finals of the Ski Flying World Cup are held every year. No one in their wildest dreams would bet on him continuing his career. But what started as recreational cycling soon turned into a true sport career, and he needed only a few years to climb to the very top of Slovenian and world cycling. He was spotted as an extremely talented and hard-working athlete in the Slovenian cycling ranks by scouts of the Dutch team Jumbo-Visma, in which he is now a living legend and an unchallenged champion.

WE NOW CHEER EVEN HARDER FOR ROGLA  

He is called Rogla by his fans and sports enthusiasts. This nickname is not only connected to his family name, but also with the famous all-year sports centre Rogla, whose micro climate makes it ideal for high-altitude training of professional athletes and sports teams from all over the world. During the season, Primož Roglič and his team Jumbo-Visma also trained at Rogla. When his teammates who were amazed by the nature in Slovenia see the name Rogla outdoors while training and cycling around the resort, this provides them with additional motivation to follow their role model and magnet. What has also been connecting the Jumbo-Visma cycling team with Slovenia since this summer is close cooperation with the Slovenian Tourist Board. Waiting for Slovenian Eagle to spread spread his wings again, let's cheer for him to takeoff again.

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