Primoz Roglic mechanical: Watch the moment Giro d’Italia dreams crumbled – until he stormed back to win

Published 28/05/2023 at 12:24 GMT

The Giro d’Italia had the spiciest of finales as Primoz Roglic stormed back from his chain slipping off to seize the leader’s pink jersey from Geraint Thomas in a dramatic time trial. Roglic’s hopes of winning a first Giro looked over as he clambered off his bike to put his troublesome chain back on, but he produced a performance for the ages to soar to the top of the general classification.

‘No. no, no, no, no!’ - Roglic drops chain in dramatic moment at Giro d’Italia

Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) may be toasting victory at the Giro d’Italia – assuming he survives Sunday’s pan-flat circuit stage around Rome without incident – but the result could have been completely different after he suffered a disastrous mechanical on Stage 20.

The Slovenian was piling the pressure on leader Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) when his chain slipped off in a crazy finale to the individual time trial on Monte Lussari.

He headed into the final GC stage looking to overturn a 26-second deficit on Thomas after pinching three seconds back in the Dolomites on Friday.

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And the Olympic time trial champion got off to a blistering start, going through the first checkpoints faster than any other rider before him. As the race went uphill, the timing screen flashed up and showed he led Thomas by 15 seconds. A huge comeback story was developing, until…

“Oh no, no, no!” cried Rob Hatch on Eurosport commentary as the live pictures panned to Roglic off his bike, frantically trying to get the chain back on.

It brought memories flooding back of his , when Tadej Pogacar wrestled the yellow jersey off him on the final competitive stage.

The moment Roglic realised he was Giro champion

“It had to happen again didn’t it. And the nightmare of the mountain time trial – Primoz Roglic’s gains have just gone up in smoke,” continued Hatch.

The incident happened after Roglic careered over a pot hole, sparking questions about his special bike which featured a 44-tooth chain ring on the back – labelled a “giant dinner plate” by Hatch – and one single ring on the front.

“I talked about exorcising the demons and it’s that big pot hole. He’s ridden straight over it. The chain’s off and all the talk of that one chain ring on the front, it’s failed him," said Hatch.

“Primoz Roglic was on the way to winning the Giro d’Italia, maybe by a second or two. It was going to be very close.”

He remounted the same bike and was given a big push by a mechanic and a mystery fan in a red t-shirt, who was later confirmed to be a former ski jumping team-mate of Roglic in an incredible twist. Still, it appeared Roglic’s chances were over and Thomas would become the oldest Giro champion in history after all.

But the Jumbo-Visma leader, with seemingly most of his fellow Slovenians roaring him up the punishing slopes of Monte Lussari on the country’s border with Italy, regrouped magnificently to power to the finish in a time of 44'23”.

Attention turned to Thomas down the road. Could he cling onto pink?

He couldn't. Thomas needed to come home in 44'48" to keep the maglia rosa but he looked weary on the steep gradients as the clock worked against him, with the 37-year-old finishing second on the stage in 45'03".

The Giro was Roglic's. His time trial redemption was complete.

“From La Planche des Belles Filles all the way back in 2020, it is finally redemption for Roglic,” concluded Hatch.

“Despite the mechanical it is finally the laying of the mountain TT ghost to rest. Roglic, a nation cheers. All of Slovenia is in north-east Italy. He’s exorcised his demons.

“Heartbreak for Geraint Thomas. He will finish second, Roglic will win. And tomorrow in Rome, after the most dramatic of finales, after a heart attack time trial of the likes we’ve not really seen, it will be Primoz Roglic who will win the Giro d’Italia.”