Primož Roglič making Jumbo-Visma proud with Tour de France fightback
Slovenian in a lot of pain but offers “reassuring” stage 6 ride.
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LONGWY, France (VN) – A lot of eyes were on Primož Roglič during stage 6 of the 2022 Tour de France after dislocating his shoulder in a crash 30 kilometers from the end of yesterday’s race.
The Slovenian fared well, coming through a day of umpteen attacks and high speed. He started the sprint uphill into Longwy early before finishing ninth.
“Primož had a hard day after the crash yesterday,” Jumbo-Visma directeur sportif Grischa Niermann said, adding: “I’m proud of Primož, how he fought back. He really tried at the end. You saw that he doesn’t have the legs he should have yet, hopefully they’re coming back.”
“He is in a lot of pain, also he had to go flat out for almost 30 kilometers yesterday after crashing. Hopefully it gets better day by day.”
Reassured by resilient Roglič
“It’s reassuring for us,” Niermann said of his showing on the road to Longwy. “But we have to see how the next days go and see what plans we can make.”
The race heads to La Planche des Belles Filles on stage 7 for a difficult finish. Jonas Vingegaard is positioned third overall, 31 seconds down on Pogačar, with Roglič 28th at 2’27”. “Jonas is in a good place, hopefully Primož is also feeling better again tomorrow,” Niermann said.
Jumbo-Visma MD laments their misfortune
Meanwhile, on the morning of stage 6 in Binche, Jumbo-Visma managing director Richard Plugge lamented what happened to Vingegaard and Roglič on the Tour’s cobblestone stage.
“How unlucky can you be? Both were sitting in the right positions in the peloton,” he told VeloNews. “Jonas got hit by someone else in the back, and then his chain fell off and got stuck.”
“Someone crashed into him in the bunch, and the other was the hay bale that was put on the road by a camera motorbike.”
Banners and bales causing big falls
“Primož was in the perfect position, fifth or sixth place in the peloton with a cobblestone sector coming up.
“It was the perfect decision and still that happens. Last year it was Opi-Omi [banner] and now this year it’s a hay bale.”
Roglič is not back to full strength, but he can ride on — and battle on. “We are all fighters. We know it’s a three-week race and a lot can happen in the next two weeks.”
How does it change Jumbo-Visma’s strategy going forward? “We [still] have yellow and the green as an objective, as we say all the time, for Paris,” Plugge said.