Merijn Zeeman: "Very tempting to go to the Tour with Roglic now, but the laws of top-level sports are harsh"

Primoz Roglic was in the Netherlands on Tuesday to attend celebrations following his victory in the Giro d'Italia. In the evening, the Slovenian Jumbo-Visma rider joined Merijn Zeeman and Richard Plugge for a fifteen-minute conversation on the television show Op1.

Interestingly, the Jumbo-Visma logo on the men's clothing was covered up as they spoke with host Tijs van den Brink, who delved into the crazy week leading up to the Giro. "Robert Gesink and Tobias Foss got sick with COVID-19, and as a result, Rohan Dennis was selected. Sam Oomen also joined as a replacement, and on the last day, so did Thomas Gloag. Jos van Emden, who was originally planned to participate, also got infected," Zeeman recounted, before complimenting the replacements. "It's even more impressive that they performed so well. We finished with eight men and were incredibly strong in the mountain stages."

The time trial to Monte Lussari could have brought back a sense of déjà vu for Zeeman and the team, knowing that Roglic lost the 2020 Tour de France in a similar trial. "We will never forget that day, but last year, we already came full circle when we managed to win the yellow jersey with this team. That essentially erased the memories of the previous time trial," Zeeman remarked.

In the lead-up to that time trial, Zeeman wasn't overly concerned about La Planche des Belles Filles 2020, he explains. "We were really focused on the Giro this time around, and we could see from his power data that he was getting stronger and stronger in the last few days. We had a lot of confidence that it would work out. You learn and gain experience, that's also part of top-level sports."

Seaman: "Giro victory is result of a very long process"

The big question now: what's next for Roglic? "We have other plans," Zeeman initially said, keeping it vague. "But ultimately, one thing is very important to remember in cycling: he has been on the road non-stop with the team for four months, only spending a few days at home," Zeeman says in defense of his rider. "That is the foundation for a top performance, but you also need a similar preparation for the Tour. It's very tempting to think that it can go the same way in the Tour, but the laws of top-level sports are very harsh. This is the result of a very long process, and such a process is also needed in order to ride a good Tour or Vuelta."