Nothing is ever simple with Primoz Roglicthe king of dramaturgy. On the Tour of Italy 2023, the Slovenian (then a member of the Jumbo-Visma team) triumphed in extremely spectacular fashion, capturing the Pink Jersey on the 20th stage, just 14 seconds ahead of Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers), at the end of an exceptional scenario. In the podcast How To Become A Proone of the teammates of Roglic during this Girothe young British Thomas Gloagtold the story behind the scenes of his leader's victory. “Primoz is a real killer on the bike, it’s incredible”he explains. “He has a concentration that you rarely see. After his victory in the last stage of the Giro, he was sitting quietly enjoying his dinner, but at the same time you could tell that he was already thinking about the next race. I said to myself: you just won the Giro, man!”
Video – Primoz Roglic, winner of the Giro d’Italia 2023
“He literally couldn’t get down the stairs, but he was talking about winning today’s stage”
This does not mean that the Giro has been a long, quiet river for Roglic and his teammates Jumbo-Visma. The Slovenian even suffered a nasty fall on stage 11, and although he hasn't mentioned it much publicly, Gloag remembers the consequences of this fall. “After a long morning, we had to collect our belongings on the eleventh floor of our hotel. We were in a hurry because a long transfer awaited us”recalls the Briton. “Primoz was waiting for the elevator, and I thought: This is taking way too long. A group of tourists were going up and down, and I told him we'd better take the stairs, but he said ' Tom, I can't go down the stairs.' I was completely surprised. He said it in such a calm manner that I didn't even realize how much pain he was in. He never complained. he stayed focused. He literally couldn't. not go down the stairs, but he was talking about winning the day's stage It was insane I said to myself: this guy is crazy. But it's this confidence and this determination that makes him an exceptional leader. never stops. He can work, focused on his goals, 365 days a year. It's incredibly inspiring for a teammate.”
