Roglic does not seem willing to work for Pogacar in the World Championships

The tensions for leadership within the Slovenian team for the 2024 Zurich World Championship have not taken long to come to light, with Primoz Roglic trusting in his chances and not settling for being just another domestique of the top favorite Tadej Pogacar.

Primoz Roglic will seek his chances at the 2024 Zurich World Championship

It is just a sentence in an interview given to the Slovenian newspaper Delo when asked about the leadership of the Slovenian team in the 2024 Zurich World Championship to be held next Sunday, September 29. When asked about it, Roglic responded with "I cannot make predictions. The time trial and road courses favor me."

As expected, these were words that were quickly read between the lines, indicating that Primoz Roglic did not seem very willing to take on a secondary role within his team, leaving the question open as to whether, when the time comes to close an important gap at the last minute or resolve any other situation that requires teamwork, Primoz Roglic will put himself at the service of his compatriot at the expense of jeopardizing his own chances.

At 34 years old and with the recent conquest of his fourth Vuelta a España, Primoz Roglic is aware that he has to take advantage of all the opportunities that come his way as he does not have many left to wear the coveted rainbow jersey. However, this situation coincides with the need to share a team with a Tadej Pogacar in his prime who has had an excellent 2024, winning practically every time he has pinned on a number, with only the World Championship missing to top off the season in which he achieved the coveted Giro and Tour double, plus Liege, Strade Bianche, Volta, not to mention his recent exhibition a few days ago in Montreal.

However, the way in which Primoz Roglic arrives at the 2024 Zurich World Championship raises doubts after his poor performance in the time trial, where he confessed that the efforts of La Vuelta had taken a toll on him, so he could not find his legs at any point in the race to get close to the best times.

In recent years, La Vuelta had been a must for those trying to perform well in the World Championship. But in this 2024, La Vuelta presented the toughest route in recent years, in which, moreover, Primoz Roglic had to make up time from the first week to Ben O'Connor, who took the lead after a breakaway got out of hand. In fact, the top favorites to win the rainbow jersey in Zurich 2024 have overlooked the Spanish tour. Tadej Pogacar, after racing the Giro and Tour; and Remco Evenepoel, who focused his efforts on the Paris 2024 Olympics after the Tour de France, having rested and trained since then to prepare thoroughly for this world championship where he has already won the gold medal in the time trial brilliantly.