Roglic closes GC chapter ("I’m fighting to survive") and passes the baton to Pellizzari

In a rainy Piazzola sul Brenta, Roglic appeared relatively upbeat on camera. But we know by now that the Slovenian has a good poker face. His team had already voiced concern about his injuries, although La Gazzetta reported on Monday that he would indeed start. “I’m definitely better than yesterday,” Roglic told Cycling Pro. “What that means exactly, we’ll have to see. I still need a few more percentage points to be at my best. But we’ll see.”

It’s raining heavily at the start, but for Roglic, it doesn’t affect his performance. "I don’t care, it is what it is. Like I said, I’m just going to try. If I can see that I’ve got it, I’ll go for it. Otherwise, every kilometer will be a struggle.”

Can he still fight for the pink jersey? The 35-year-old veteran is crystal clear: “I don’t think it’s realistic to go for the GC. Like I said, I’m fighting to survive. I showed up at the start, but yesterday I couldn’t even sit on the bike. Today I’ll see if I can stay on it.” Roglic lost a minute and a half on Sunday.

So the chance of seeing Roglic at the front during the grueling stage to San Valentino is minimal. But that opens the door for his super-domestique Giulio Pellizzari. The 21-year-old Italian stayed loyally by his leader’s side for two weeks, but now he gets to see if he can take something for himself. “Absolutely. He’s shown he has the legs, so he’ll definitely get a chance,” said his Slovenian mentor.