Roglic mysterious about future after Vuelta runner-up finish

Roglic mysterious about future after Vuelta runner-up finish

Primož Roglič finished second at the 2026 Vuelta a España and received a congratulatory call from Team Visma-Lease a Bike CEO Richard Plugge, but with his Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe contract expiring…

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Primož Roglič crossed the line in Granada on Sunday 2 minutes and 15 seconds behind Enric Mas, at the end of three weeks of racing he had not been sure he wanted to enter. Asked about a possible 2027 programme, he had one line ready.

“Phew, I have no idea!” Roglič told Dutch cycling site In de Leiderstrui.

The runner-up finish still felt like a win. Roglič described his second place as “a victory” and said he had lined up in the first place only because the Grand Départ on 22 August was, in his words, “at home” in Monaco. He had not expected to leave Spain on the podium.

That podium opened up on stage 8, when race leader Tadej Pogačar, who had built a lead of 3 minutes 50 seconds, crashed out of the race. Mas inherited the red jersey and defended it into Granada, with Felix Gall third at 2:44 behind.

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Among the messages that came in afterwards was a call from Richard Plugge, the CEO of Team Visma-Lease a Bike and the man who oversaw Roglič’s Grand Tour years before the Slovenian left the Dutch team for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe.

Contract expires on 31 December

Roglič’s current deal expires on 31 December 2026. Team manager Ralph Denk confirmed the split at the Tour de France, telling reporters that Roglič wanted to continue as a rider and that he congratulated him on his decision, as reported by Domestique.

Which jersey he will pull on in January remains unanswered.

Lotto, Pinarello-Q36.5 and a Bahrain ‘no’

Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws has reported that talks with Lotto-Intermarché have already taken place, describing mutual interest. Reporter Daniel Benson has separately linked Roglič with Swiss team Pinarello-Q36.5, though that report stops short of any agreement.

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Bahrain Victorious, connected to Roglič through Slovenian general manager Milan Eržen, has ruled itself out. The team told Domestique it is not pursuing a deal.

No public confirmation has come from Roglič’s camp on any of these fronts, and no signature has been announced.

The missing Grand Tour

The Tour de France is understood to be central to Roglič’s 2027 planning. It is the only Grand Tour he has never won.

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