Roglic's Red Bull teammate sends a warning to Vuelta GC rivals: 'He's building that engine again'

With Tadej Pogačar out of the race, the battle for the red leader’s jersey in the Vuelta a España has suddenly become a lot more exciting. There are a handful of riders in contention for the overall victory, but it could very well end up in the hands of another Slovenian. Primož Roglič can go all out for his fifth overall victory, and according to his teammate, something great is on the horizon.

Pogacar’s crash turned the entire race upside down. The Slovenian was forced to withdraw while wearing the red jersey, which now rests on the shoulders of Enric Mas (Movistar). But has anything really changed? No, says Finn Fisher-Black, Roglič’s teammate at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, in an interview with Domestique. “To be honest, Tadej was in a league of his own. We’re still racing against the same guys we were racing against before he crashed.”

"Mas, Onley, Gall—we're still going up against those guys," he continues. “It’s just that Tadej isn’t a minute ahead every day anymore. So nothing changes for us—the tactics stay the same. We’re still just trying to beat those other general classification contenders. The only difference is that now there’s a potential victory up for grabs.”

The fact that Roglic is in contention for the overall victory comes as a bit of a surprise even to the New Zealander. That’s because the Slovenian was hit by a car just before the Vuelta a España. “He was hit by a car right in front of the hotel, and he was really in bad shape. His leg was completely bruised. He had trouble getting on his bike; I think he took a week off.”

With such a deficit, it was anyone’s guess how he’d perform in the first week. The fact that he’s now in second place, 1.18 minutes behind the leader, can truly be called a miracle. “This first week has gone really well, and I think he’ll only get better, because he’s really training now. A few weeks ago, he couldn’t even ride, and now he's building that engine again. I think he’ll really shine in the final week.”

According to Fisher-Black, Roglic is mentally ready to compete again. “You can already tell from his relaxed demeanor what to expect today, and the more relaxed he is, the better he performs. He’s just happy to be here and to ride with his friends. He’s gaining more and more confidence; he realizes he’s in good shape and that things might not be as bad as he thought.”

Pogac3ar’s withdrawal is a major change not only for the general classification contenders but for the entire peloton. Wout Van Aert suddenly sees his green jersey goal become much more realistic, but the attackers are also likely to have more opportunities. Fisher-Black therefore anticipates a great Vuelta for himself as well.

"The only team that could really control the race was UAE," he explains. "So now there are many stages where Movistar or the other general classification teams might think, 'We don't want to sacrifice the team today.' There will be plenty of opportunities to make a move in the coming weeks, during the breaks, and I’ll always strive to be there and take advantage of the right opportunities.”