It was predictable. After the ordeal experienced Saturday by the Slovenian Primoz Roglic, second in the Tour de France last year, he decided to give up continuing the race, this Sunday, before the start of the 9th stage in Cluses. It must be said that Roglic was greatly reduced by the consequences of a fall last Monday during the 3rd stage. “It is useless to continue like this,” said the Slovenian, quoted by his team on Sunday morning. Now is the time to recover and focus on my new goals ”.
The former ski jumper announced at the start of the year that his main objectives for the season were the Tour de France and the road race of the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled for July 24. “I am very disappointed to have to leave the Tour but I have to accept it as it is. I remain optimistic and look to the future, ”he explained, referring to his painful journey since his fall which occurred about ten kilometers from the finish in Pontivy.
Forty minutes from Pogacar
“I didn’t think this fall would cause me to quit. I never look that far. After a few days, I saw that I was not making any progress in my recovery. Even though I surprised myself in the time trial, I still had a bad feeling the following days. The long and difficult stages are wreaking havoc ”, concluded the man who had approached the Tour in the position of favorite with his compatriot Tadej Pogacar, winner last year.
After his fall, Roglic limited the breakage in the time trial on Wednesday in Laval, where he gave up only 44 seconds to the dominating Pogacar. But he paid the price for his injuries, multiple bruises, in the long stage (249 km) leading to Le Creusot (Saône-et-Loire) on Friday, before finishing very late, in the “gruppetto”, the first stage of mountain in Grand-Bornand. After eight stages, he occupied 51st place in the general classification, almost 40 minutes from Pogacar, the new yellow jersey for this edition.