Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) has confirmed he will not ride the 2023 Tour de France, with the Giro d’Italia winner planning to enjoy his victory celebrations a while longer. He will also skip the World Championships in Scotland and is likely to only return to racing at the Vuelta a España, that starts on August 26.
Roglič officially celebrated his Giro d’Italia victory with a huge crowd in the Slovenia capital Ljubljana and revealed his plans for the second half of the 2023 season.
“I’m enjoying it, it’s been a bunch of sweet obligations. I don’t even know how many receptions I’ll have. I’m trying to enjoy it. To give something back to people,” Roglič told RTV Slovenija.
“We are here to rejoice after the victory at the Giro and to find new challenges.”
The 2020 Tour de France runner-up confirmed his race plans. Jumbo-Visma will target a second consecutive yellow jersey with solo leader and 2022 winner Jonas Vingegaard.
“I’m not going to the Tour, but I’m most likely going to the Vuelta. My next race will most likely be the Tour of Spain,” said Roglič, who came third at the Giro and first at the Vuelta when he last did both in 2019.
“I really didn’t plan the Tour of France this year.”
Roglič has often described the Tour de France as his only outstanding Grand Tour goal but Jumbo-Visma have Vingegaard as team leader, while Roglič has crashed and abandoned the last two editions of the Tour. He was asked if he would change teams to try to get a shot at winning the Tour de France.
“The main thing for me is to achieve the goals that I still lack,” Roglič said.
“So far I have been getting all the support I wanted. So I don’t see any problems going forward. But when we can no longer achieve these goals…”
Roglič will skip this week’s Slovenian National Championships, where he won the road race when he last lined up in 2020. The Olympic time trial champion will also be passing on the Road World Championships in Glasgow, which includes a race against the clock that climbs to the finish and could suit the thirty-three year old.
“I’m too switched off right now,” said Roglič.
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