Dutch analyst Zonneveld points out Roglic's main problem, besides crashes: "It's always been his weakness"

During the Giro, it was clear that Roglic was not doing well or playing hide and seek. "I think we can now conclude that it's option 1," Zonneveld believes. "He's just not that good. Especially when you see where he actually drops back on today's final climb to the Asiago plateau. That's not a particularly difficult climb. They're riding at an average speed of 30 kilometers per hour, which gives you an advantage if you're in the group. But he's simply being dropped; he's one of the weakest in that group."

Zonneveld thinks that the Slovenian rider, who already won the Giro in 2023, may have been riding with an injury for some time. Red Bull itself is now open about the injuries and pain suffered by its lead rider. "He's had a few bad crashes, so he was actually hanging on by a thread. On a day like today, when it's so hard all day long, he's bound to break down at some point."

But he doesn't have the legs for it either, according to the sports director of BEAT Cycling. He has to let it go, especially on the longer climbs. "That pattern seems to be continuing this year. It's always been his weakness. Roglic is really good at short bursts of effort between 5 minutes and half an hour. That has been his great specialty. Over the years, and with the change of team, you can see that the absolute sharpness of that sprint is gone. He didn't show that Roglic finish in the Giro, where he crushes everyone in the last 100 meters, not once."

Thanks to the relentless work of INEOS Grenadiers, Roglic was worn down. The British rider rides very aggressively, unlike a few years ago. "Actually, INEOS has been trying to control the race as much as possible for years. That's what made them big with Sky, and they continued that in the years when it wasn't really working anymore. Then, they were constantly hit with one blow after another."

So, the plan had to be changed. The team is now known for its aggressive racing style, which they also demonstrate in the Giro. "The way they race has been completely different for a year and a half. They ride incredibly aggressively all year round. Sometimes, it's almost irrational, as if they have to convince themselves. Our plan is chaos!"

On Monte Grappa, leader Egan Bernal accelerated, and they seemed to be breaking away with Thymen Arensman, Isaac Del Toro, Derek Gee, and Richard Carapaz. But Zonneveld sees that the team was not used well. Josh Tarling was in the leading group but was caught before the top of the mountain. On the flat, the adventure was over for the breakaway riders. "If Tarling had made it over the top with them and then been able to keep up on the flat, it would have been interesting. They didn't time it well."

But once again, it was war. The Giro is a spectacle that features a different race picture every day. "The relationships change every day, and sometimes every mountain. Today alone, on Monte Grappa, a long, steep climb, Arensman could keep up. He caught up with Bernal, Carapaz, and Del Toro, which was incredibly impressive. It was his best climb of the Giro. And on the next climb, where everyone was averaging 30 km/h, he had to drop back again. And not with 4 or 5 riders, but with 15. Sometimes I just don't get it."

It's a game of swapping places at the top of the classification. "They've all had bad moments, except for one, and that's Del Toro," Zonneveld observes. "But he's so young that everyone, including UAE, thinks he'll take a hit sooner or later." When the pink jersey rider pulled away, UAE Team Emirates - XRG closed the gap: they didn't want to let the other competitors ride away. "They'd rather bring the number two back to the number one, who is one of their own than stay in the peloton and say to Yates: hey, figure it out yourself."

The Dutch journalist thinks the team still wants to keep Juan Ayuso as a contender. "I think they just really want to keep betting on two horses because they don't trust either of them. They can see that Del Toro is the best rider in the Giro at the moment, but he's really young, and the hardest part is just beginning. Ayuso has been a bit more stable over the past few years and has won a few more races. And I think they find it scary to go all in on one of the two options. So they're playing it safe."