Primoz Roglic reveals reasons for Jumbo-Visma exit to Bora-hansgrohe ahead of new season - 'I had to leave'

Published 29/12/2023 at 18:49 GMT

Slovenian cyclist Primoz Roglic won the Giro d'Italia last season but will now have the chance to chase the Tour de France, where he is expected to lead his new Bora-Hansgrohe team. He still had a year left on his Jumbo-Visma contract going into 2024, but decided that he would leave early, and he explained it had nothing to do with his team's controversy at the Vuelta a Espana.

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New Bora-hansgrohe rider Primoz Roglic has revealed he felt he “had to leave" Jumbo-Visma - even if he had won last season's Vuelta a Espana.

Roglic, Jonas Vingegaard and Sepp Kuss were in the running for the last Grand Tour of the season and there appeared to be disquiet amongst the trio before the team decided that Kuss should be supported in his bid for victory.

The American closed out the win thereafter, but both Vingegaard and Roglic missed out on a shot at another Grand Tour victory as a result.

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Kuss and Vingegaard remain with Jumbo-Visma heading into the new season, but Slovenia’s Roglic said that he had already taken the decision to leave the team before the spat in Spain, and talking to Dutch newspaper AD, he explained why he decided to move on to Bora-Hansgrohe.

"A few years earlier, I taught Jonas and Sepp everything, they still looked up to me, and now they were numbers 1 and 2 for me," the Slovenian, 34, said.

"We made history, and I was part of it. But even if I had won the Vuelta, I would have left. I simply have greater opportunities elsewhere to achieve what I am still fighting for. That wasn't a tough decision but rather a natural one.

“I have achieved the maximum I could with Jumbo. It got to the point where I had to leave. It doesn't detract from how happy I was on the podium in Madrid. Hopefully, I will be even happier in future photos and in a different jersey."

Sepp Kuss, , Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic

Image credit: Getty Images

On the Vuelta saga, Roglic added: "That felt uncomfortable because it is my responsibility to win races. On the other hand, it wasn't just about me, it was also about the team. And no one deserves it more than Sepp."

Roglic is expected to lead his new team’s bid for the Tour de France, and could well butt heads with former team-mate Vingegaard.

The Tour de France has so far eluded Roglic over the course of his career, becoming more important in his sights in the process.

However, if he fails to win the Tour in his remaining years, he said he would "have no regrets".

"People sometimes ask, 'What would you like to change about your life?' Look how many wonderful things I have experienced. I wouldn't change anything at all."