upside down | “It’s a bit touching that Primoz Roglic plays second fiddle to Jumbo-Visma.”

Roglic won the Giro del Emilia immediately after announcing his departure, beating Tadej Pogacar. There are not many riders who can pass Pogacar uphill and beat him in the sprint. That’s why it seems completely strange for Roglic to leave the current team in yellow and black, but that changes when you consider the goals he has yet to achieve.

Jan Hermsen said: “I have said it more than once in recent weeks: the first to leave is Roglic.” “I already thought so before the possible merger. It seems there is no place for Roglic in Jumbo-Visma anymore. With the Vuelta a España perhaps the best proof. I understand it.”

“Roglic is in a role… he can never win the Tour de France with Jumbo again. Maybe not with another team, but at least he will get the chance there. Roglic has shown that he is still a very strong rider, and he is still capable of doing a lot.”

“If Roglic wants to win the Tour again, in my opinion it is better to do it in the Jumbo. I don’t think a man-to-man against Jonas Vingegaard will work. It’s better to be in Vingegaard’s team to take advantage of each other,” says Jeroen Vanbelgem.

“But perhaps Roglik has noticed that I am no longer the king. The team and the knight have grown together, but perhaps now there is a realization: I am no longer the big figure within the team. This is Vengegard. If Remko Evenepoel is added… the leader would rather be elsewhere.” “Now is the time to sign another beautiful contract, all the teams are lining up.”

“From what I’ve heard from insiders, he’s not particularly interested in money. A contract worth 2, 3 or 4 million euros doesn’t make much difference, and Roglic doesn’t eat anything more or less than it is,” says Carsten Krohn, who joins Kop’s men on Cobb: “I don’t think money is his main motivation.”

“It will mainly be about the Tour de France and the ambition to win. Roglic has always done well. He won the Giro d’Italia earlier this season and was victorious in Emilia. If he has the feeling of playing second fiddle… that’s a bit touching, isn’t it “I don’t think this is fun.”

So Roglic is linked to almost every team at Peloton, but where does he end up? “It’s very interesting, because he’s one of the best riders in the world. Everyone wants him. Where is his best chance of winning the Grand Tours? I don’t see the Tour de France happening again, but prove me wrong,” answers VanBelgeem.

“Israel-Premier Tech is interesting from a purely financial point of view, but he doesn’t think about money. The purely mathematical question is: who will make a Grand Tour team? Bora and INEOS, but INEOS leans towards Evenepoel. Then Bora is the best choice. Lidl-Trek has made several purchases, but has yet to put together a cohesive team for a major tour. Then Bora is the smartest move for Roglic.

In addition to meeting salary conditions, Roglic’s new team must also pay a buyout to Jumbo-Visma, which allows the Slovenian to leave despite still being under contract.