Will we actually see Roglič's European championship jersey in action: “We haven’t reached an agreement yet ”

Roglič started as a dangerous dark horse at the European Time Trial Championships, in the absence of top favorites such as Remco Evenepoel, Filippo Ganna, and Paul Seixas. On the course, he made his move on the climb, after which he successfully defended his lead against the charging Bruno Armirail. Thus, the Slovenian won the European title in front of his home crowd.

Afterwards, the Slovenian was his usual down-to-earth self, but during the press conference he went into a bit more detail about the race.

He certainly knew the course well. “I’ve gotten to know the course well over the past few days. Mozjanac never disappoints—it was tough again this time. After the second section, there was a fast descent and a tough battle against the wind in the final kilometers to the finish.”

On stage, Roglič did show some emotion, celebrating with his signature ski jump pose. He would have liked that ceremony to last much longer.

“You’re standing there and you want to capture those feelings; you try to remember them, but it all goes by so fast. But the best part is when you hear the Slovenian national anthem and can sing along. You don’t think about anything; you’re just happy and singing the anthem.”

Of his 93 victories, this one will surely rank quite high. “I haven’t won at home very often; I’ll definitely remember this for the rest of my life,” says the European champion.

“I always say it’s hard to compare victories, because every victory is something special. But winning in your own country is even better. You don’t even think about what kind of race it is—whether it’s the European Championship or the Tour of Slovenia.”

Many people had already written Roglič off a bit after a difficult season. In the first half of the year, the experienced climber seemed a shadow of his former self, but he came back to life in the second half of the season. He fought for the overall victory in the Vuelta a España and ultimately finished second. He rode very aggressively at the World Championships in Canada, and the European title is the icing on the cake.

But whether we’ll see him in action next year as European champion remains to be seen. “It’s wonderful—maybe I’ll just wear it at home, since we haven’t reached an agreement yet on what I’ll do next—but either way, I’ll wear it. I could hardly have imagined a better way to end the championship.”

Roglič's contract with Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe expires at the end of this season. The four-time Vuelta winner had previously been linked to a move to Lotto-Intermarché or Tudor, but he could also decide to retire.

Does he have any news yet? “I’d say the opposite,” he remarks in his characteristic manner. “We’ll see; I hope I don’t just wear this jersey at home, but that we’ll also see it on the bike.”