Roglic got on Kruijswijk's nerves during 'his' Giro in 2016: 'Steven found it difficult'

Primoz Roglic has become such a major figure in cycling that it is sometimes easy to forget where he came from. His background in ski jumping, his late start as a professional cyclist, and his rocket-like development remain remarkable things to think about even now. It is no surprise, then, that he experienced some teething problems — to the frustration of certain teammates and co-leaders.

After three years at continental level, Roglic joined LottoNL-Jumbo. Following a strong start with the Dutch team, he was given a direct entry into the Giro d'Italia, riding alongside Steven Kruijswijk. The Dutch climber had already built a solid record in Italy, finishing eighth and seventh in the overall classification in the two preceding editions.

In the 2016 race, Kruijswijk showed his very best. He was comfortably the strongest rider on the climbs and pulled on the pink jersey from stage fourteen. How it all ended, everyone still remembers — the crash into a snow bank on the Colle dell'Agnello. What fewer people know is that Kruijswijk had simultaneously been watching Roglic fail to pull his weight as a teammate.

Twan Castelijns, who rode that Giro with LottoNL-Jumbo, sometimes saw the situation turn fractious around his team leader. "Tensions is too strong a word, but you noticed irritation from Steven," the 37-year-old Dutchman tells Wieler Revue. "He said he would never ride at the front for Primoz. He later had to do exactly that, many times."

Roglic and Kruijswijk would go on to form a formidable partnership, most memorably at the 2018 Tour de France, with the Dutchman playing an important role in several subsequent races.

Kruijswijk later became one of Roglic's most trusted domestiques — including when the Slovenian won the Vuelta a España for the third time in 2021. "But at that point, we also had no idea how good Primoz would become," explains Jos van Emden, who now works as a team director. "It was his first year at that level. He had been the only rider able to follow Robert Gesink in a winter test, but the Giro was also a voyage of discovery for him."

That gap in experience inevitably produced friction. Van Emden is measured in his verdict. "Primoz wasn't the best teammate, but he had no idea what was happening to him. Just a few years earlier, he had been cleaning escalators. I didn't hold it against him, but he was focused almost entirely on himself. And then he simply went and won the second time trial. Steven found it more difficult."

"Which is understandable when you're the team leader," the former time trialist continues. "Steven was about to experience the pinnacle of his career, and Primoz was a disruptive presence. He always had pain somewhere. After two weeks, Primoz said his fingernails and hair were hurting," Van Emden laughs.

Kruijswijk finished that Giro in fourth place, undone by misfortune rather than a lack of ability. Roglic came home in 58th — but made his breakthrough at the top level. The beginning of a story that neither man could have seen coming.