Team Roglic speaks of 'perfection', but encounters some disruption from a rider who was not allowed to participate in the Giro

Roglic came to the Giro to win it for the second time after his overall victory in 2023. The start has been promising so far. On days 1 and 3, he stayed out of trouble; on day 2, he gained (a lot of) time in the time trial; and on day 4, he sprinted away from the rest by 2 seconds in the bonus sprint during the stage. "Primož is in the best scenario possible after Albania, and so is the team. Nobody crashed, everything went perfectly, Primož has taken seconds on his rivals, but he doesn't have the jersey. So like I said, it's perfect," said teammate Jan Tratnik to Cyclingnews.

"Once again, the team has responded really well, all the riders are committed to doing their job, and we are really well connected," continued Roglic's good friend Tratnik. "Even if one guy has a bad day, you know he will step in and do the job for two guys. That's important because how you start is how you continue. So on those days, the aim is just to arrive safely to the finish, and maybe even today it can be a bit stressful, even with the wind. Then we're onto the summit finish climb on stage 7, and we'll need to see."

Tratnik keeps everyone on their toes: "For sure, the stage is an objective, but I think the most difficult stage of this first part will be the Strade Bianche stage [stage 9 - Ed.]. Once again, the aim will be to stay out of trouble and for all the GC guys to finish together. That's the big goal - stay up there, stay out of trouble, and after the second rest day [in Tuscany] the Giro will start."

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It's a perfect scenario for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, but there is some damage control to be done behind the scenes. Frederik Wandahl gave an interview to the Danish newspaper Feltet in which he was sincere. The 24-year-old Dane was still convinced in April's Tour of the Alps that he would be riding his first Grand Tour in the Giro, but in the end, he was not selected.

And that hit him hard, as it turns out. "A week before the Tour of Catalonia (in the first week of April, ed.), the team already said they were going in a different direction. The argument was that we have others in the team who are better at leading on the flat. That wasn't for me. I was very disappointed because I felt I would ride the Giro. For me, it was always the intention to play a leading role, even though it would be my first Grand Tour."

"It was a disappointment not to be at the start of the Giro; that hit me hard," Wandahl continues. "I wouldn't say that this decision is ruining my relationship with the team, but I haven't signed a contract extension yet. We are discussing it, and I hope a solution will be found within a few weeks, whatever that may be. I still feel safe with this team, but you always have to consider other options. I now try to look ahead and use my good form to race hard. In the Tour of Hungary, I am going for the podium in the GC."

And then? Later this year, Wandahl is really hoping to compete in the Vuelta a España. "It's very important that I ride a Grand Tour this year. This is my fifth year with the team."