Primož Roglič spends more racing days in a leader’s jersey than Jumbo-Visma team kit

If you’re searching for Primož Roglič in a pack, look for him near the front of the race in the race leader’s jersey, and not for a rider in the team colors of Jumbo-Visma.

While Roglič can, on occasion, been seen on the trademark black and yellow colors of his Dutch-based trade team, he’s more often wearing the maillot jaune of the race leader at the Tour de France, or the red leader’s jersey at the Vuelta a España.

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Roglič’s days in grand tours leader’s jerseys are impressive, it’s also hard to ignore that he’s lead the GC — and earned the leader’s jersey — at other, significant WorldTour level stage races like the UAE Tour, the Tour of Romandie, the Tour of the Basque Country, Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour de l’Ain, and Paris-Nice among many others.

Here’s how Roglič’s days in a race leader’s jersey haul at just the three grand tours stacks up compared to days raced in his Jumbo-Visma kit.

2021 (as of March 12)
Days in Paris-Nice leader’s jersey: 5
Race days: 8
Wins: 3
Top-10s: 4

2020
Days in Tour de France leader’s jersey: 11
Days in Vuelta a España leader’s jersey: 14
Days in Vuelta a España points jersey: 18 (of total 18 stages in 2020)
Total Race Days: 51
Wins: 12
Top-10s: 32

2019
Days in Giro d’Italia leader’s jersey: 6
Days in Vuelta a España leader’s jersey: 11
Days in Vuelta a España points jersey: 11
Total Race Days: 69
Wins: 14
Top-10s: 39

The total number of days raced includes all races for a season, including one-day races like Liège-Bastogne-Liège — which Roglič won in 2020 on a bike throw past Julian Alaphilippe — as well as national and world championship events for which no leader’s jersey is up for grabs. While there’s no leader’s jersey in one-day races, Roglič is almost always near the front of the action.

Another guaranteed way to find Roglič in the field: He’s almost always shepherded by at least one other teammate — like Sepp Kuss, Tony Martin, or Steven Kruijswijk — to help ensure he’s in striking distance of a win to protect his leader’s jersey.

Still yet another contributing factor in Roglič’s seemingly uncanny ability to find and hold onto the race leader’s shirt: He manages to avoid race-ending injuries. While the Jumbo-Visma captain may have abandoned a race here and there, he’s not been involuntarily sidelined in the past three seasons due to injury or illness.

His two crashes on the final stage of the 2021 Paris-Nice was exceptional for him, and while Roglič ceded a nearly one-minute advantage and ultimately finished more than two minutes back on the GC, the 31-year-old Slovenian still managed to finish the final stage.

If 2019 and 2020 are any indication of wins to come, Roglič’s hot start to the 2021 season — less the double-falter in the final 40km of Paris-Nice — will have him in the race leader’s wardrobe again throughout most of the year.