Primož Roglič gives striking calendar update: "I want to spend some time at home"

The now 36-year-old Roglič is putting all his focus this season on the Vuelta a España, a race he has already won four times. If he manages to do so again, it would mark a record-breaking fifth victory. His legs looked solid in Tirreno-Adriatico, although the Slovenian largely worked in support of teammate Giulio Pellizzari, who is on course to finish on the final podium of the race. Roglič himself sat fifth overall after six stages.

Normally, this part of the season would mean continuing to train and race, but Roglič’s schedule looks very limited. The Tour of the Basque Country is next on his calendar on 6 April, a six-day stage race. After that, the Tour de Romandie is normally scheduled for 28 April, also providing another six days of racing.

Roglič is not expected to ride either the Giro d’Italia or the Tour de France, but that raises the question of what he will do during the summer months. “I try to enjoy every period in life,” he said. “You’re only born once and things constantly change. That’s part of life. It’s hard to say which period is the best.”

It should be noted that the quote was translated from Slovenian, but it makes clear that Roglič plans to approach 2026 differently. After the Tour de Romandie, he is not expected to race again until the Vuelta a España, which begins on 22 August. “I made that decision myself, in consultation with others. We aligned our programmes and it’s okay. I want to spend some time at home.”

It is a striking choice in the final year of Roglič’s contract with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. What should we make of a summer without racing? “I’ve been away from home for a long time, so I want to spend some time with my family,” he explained honestly.

Roglič still showed at Tirreno-Adriatico that he can compete with the best. “Of course I would have liked to be a bit higher in the standings, but every day here was a fight for the general classification. It’s good that we’ve started the season. Now we will analyse this race and prepare for what’s coming next.” “As a team we’re going to win the team classification, and we can be proud of that as well.”

Roglič, who already indicated in December that he planned to take slightly more distance from racing at certain times during the season, will therefore follow a very different schedule in 2026.