Primož Roglič could ride Tour de France after Giro d’Italia 2019 podium

The Slovenian suffered mixed fortunes in the Giro, but may try his luck in France

Primoz Roglic finishes stage 20 of the Giro d'Italia 2019 (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Primož Roglič may line-up in the Tour de France after a bittersweet podium finish in the Giro d’Italia.

The Jumbo-Visma rider was a marked man in the Italian Grand Tour, having won every race he had started this year and dominating the opening time trial in Bologna.

But after another imperious performance in the second TT, Roglič began to falter and was left fighting for third place by the final week.

After the mixed fortunes of the Giro, Roglič’s team are considering whether the Slovenian can race the Giro-Tour double.

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Jumbo-Visma sports director Merijn Zeeman told Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad (opens in new tab): “After the Critérium du Dauphiné we will explore some of the Tour’s mountain stages.

“By the time, the Giro will have sunk with Primož and I’ll let him go and explore.

“He had a good first half of the season but it makes no sense to let him ride the Tour if he is not in top form.

“We still have time to decide.”

Roglič is currently in the team’s long-list for the Tour squad, where general classification hopeful Steven Kruijswijk is expected to carry the Dutch outfit’s hopes.

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Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and Mikel Landa (Movistar) are both expected to start the Tour, having finished second and fourth in the Giro respectively.

Roglič led the Giro for the opening five days, before ceding the jersey to a breakaway on six with the expectation he would claim it back in the second week.

But Roglič’s impeccable form began to waiver as the race hit the mountains, as he lost time to Nibali and race winner Richard Carapaz (Movistar).

He was eventually forced to fight for a podium place, only stealing his spot from Mikel Landa in the final day time trial in Verona.

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Alex Ballinger

Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.  Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.