The Slovenian fans shouted Primož Roglič’s name across Monte Lussari as he raced him to win the time trial, snatch the maglia rosa from Geraint Thomas and set up overall victory of the Giro d'Italia in Rome on Sunday.
After numerous setbacks and painful injuries, including in this year’s Giro d’Italia, Roglič produced arguably the ride of his career to beat Thomas by 39 seconds. On Sunday, he will ride around Rome in the maglia rosa with a lead of 14 seconds.
Roglič will perhaps never forget losing the 2020 Tour de France to Tadej Pogačar in the final mountain time trial but setting up victory in the Corsa Rosa just a few kilometres from the Slovenian border was hugely emotional.
As Roglič walked down the finishing straight to the post-race press conference, anti-doping, the fans cheered him, and he high-fived them and waved. He needed a police escort to make it into a building, and some fans even tried to break down the doors, such was the enthusiasm and support for their national hero.
“This is home for me. I spent my whole life just a few kilometres away from here, also when doing ski jumping. You can see the crowd and how much energy they give,” Roglič explained after tears filled his eyes on the podium.
Roglič was the only overall contender to ride part of the steep Monte Lussari climb in the morning of the stage. Knowing that virtually the whole mountain would be cheering for him gave him special motivation.
“I didn’t really care about the final result, when I knew the crowds that would be up here, on my turf, I had goosebumps. I wanted to come here and enjoy every metre. It worked, it was enough,” he said.
“To be a person that people come to support is special. I’m extremely proud to be that person. I’ll definitely remember this day for the rest of my life.
“It’s unfair to compare victories, say which is more or less. But this says who I am, I always have hope and fight on. That’s the story of my Giro.”
Roglič has won the Vuelta a Espana three times but is known for his defeat in the 2020 Tour de France and a number of other big-race crashes and disappointments.
He has always fought the pain of defeat, but this time he had the strength to overcome Thomas and even a mechanical problem when he dropped his chain.
“A lot of things happened in the race, I had quite a few problems, but we kept fighting, staying positive and believing in it, and I believed we could do it,” he said.
“I struggled after the crash (on stage 11). I lost some meat, and the impact on the hip was a problem and really painful. It got better day after day, and I’ve kept fighting every day since then. I managed to keep myself quite close and in contention. I knew the final time trial was decisive, I know that from my experience. I had enough today.”
Roglič was able to laugh about his chain drop.
“I didn’t plan it…I also got a bit of a rest as I stood there,” he joked.
“Fortunately, I was enough of a mechanic to put the chain back on, and I could carry on. Obviously, I had enough energy to keep going. I was also lucky to get a big push from a guy on the road because it’s hard to start again, so thanks to him.”
Roglič thanked his eight teammates who came together after COVID-19 hit the Jumbo-Visma team just before the Giro and also praised Thomas for his hard fight during the three weeks.
He has continued an incredible record of consistency despite his setbacks and is taking on the new generation of riders despite being 33.
“The young generation is pushing us, but the old guys are still around,” he joked with pride.
“I’m getting older and living different experiences, I'm still learning and will keep learning, so I’ll keep challenging myself.”
Could his next challenge be the Tour de France in July or in 2024? Roglič hinted so.
“I just want to celebrate first, but you all know what is missing…” he concluded.
