10/9/23 7:37 AM

What does everyone think about Primoz Roglic moving to Bora?

My desire was to see better all-around competition at the TdF, rather than one or two teams dominating the action. This might be good for competition, but I'm a little curious to see how PR will interact with the team's other kingpins of Hindley and Vlasov, as to who will support who. I can't see PR working for either rider at this stage of his career, so it may come down to how well Hindley and Vlasov accept support roles. Uitdjebrooks (sp?) is probably young enough that he will support who the DS tells him to.

I think Evenepoel is still learning about his body and about what he can and cannot do ina grand tour. Should be an interesting 2024 TdF, provided no big teams fold and barring injuries and if all the stars decide to attend.

10/9/23 9:12 AM

So PR went where the biggest pay check is?

10/9/23 2:51 PM

I have zero information on contact $ offered by the several teams that PR was rumored to go to.

I think it was more of a thing that Roglic really wants to try to win the Tdf to complete his palmares and he knew that unless Vingo got hurt before the Tour, he probably would be left off the JV start list. I suspect he figured Bora had enough support talent that he might have a chance to pull it off with them (especially if Hindley and Vlasov agreed to work for him)

10/18/23 11:22 AM

NM

10/19/23 1:39 PM

I think it makes sense. I can see PR's side of things from the Vuelta...he's a guy that's paid to race and win and has the talent to do so. Being relegated to (effectively, even though he came in 2nd) a support role had to get him thinking about his future- sporting careers only last so long and every opportunity lost is one more from a relatively small pile.

In the end I agree it's good for competition and the peloton as a whole. I, for one, don't really care who wins what race but I love the drama when things are close and up in the air. Until Pogacar cracked in last year's Tour is was a nail biter and I was loving it.

The Vuelta, on the other hand, would have been a snooze fest if not for Kuss taking the lead and all the fuss that came of it. Jumbo taking the entire podium was beyond a doubt an amazing accomplishment but it also highlighted the concentration of talent on one squad that is not conducive to exciting watching.

10/19/23 4:35 PM

"Jumbo taking the entire podium was beyond a doubt an amazing accomplishment but it also highlighted the concentration of talent on one squad that is not conducive to exciting watching"

That's true I think. If not for that drama, the podium sweep prob have been a yawn finish...

10/20/23 6:19 AM

In the ideal scenario with no injuries and no Team roster surprises, I'm licking my chops to watch Tadej, Jonas, Primoz, and Remco wage battle from day to day with possibly Bernal, Carapaz, and one other surprise contender lurking just behind.

One of my old race buddies is already talking arranging a trip to Nice to view the last few stages.

10/21/23 12:34 PM

I agree that it should make things much more interesting overall, throughout the GTs. Roglic probably realizes that at his age, this may be his last chance to win the Tour. He's worked too hard for too long to just accept a backup role. I'd love to see him pull it off!

10/21/23 1:37 PM

Should be a great Tour for those and other reasons. The course is rumored to be climb-heavy, including 2 ascents of L’Alpe, and end with a 35k tt. I doubt Rog can stay with Vingo or Pog, but what do I know…:). Good that he’ll get a chance.

Another thing I wonder about is how hard will Pog and Remco go in the one day races?

10/21/23 7:49 PM

Given the competition, Pogacar may have to focus more on the tour and pull back in his early season aggression

11/1/23 5:27 AM

There’s an interesting interview with Pog on FloBikes. He comes across as thoughtful, and a sportsman with great respect for his competitors. He sees the Tour as important, but won’t make it his sole goal and wants to ride the Classics. He looks forward to a battle with all competitors riding well.
The interviewer tried to get him to say that Vingo couldn’t win a Classic, Pog said of course he could.
He said the three things left he wanted to win were the Giro, Vuelta and World Championship.
Sounded very mature and balanced, particularly for his age.

11/1/23 12:08 PM

I hate to assume anything about any public persona because everything is a product these days, but Pog really does seem like a well-grounded kid who simply loves to ride his bike.

11/7/23 6:22 AM

Saitama crit, Pog and Sepp away, Pog takes the sprint. A few yards behind, Sagan is third, Cav wins pack sprint for fourth. Cool.