Jumbo-Visma, a prominent cycling team, will be saying goodbye to one of their three Grand Tour champions this year as Primoz Roglic revealed his move to join Bora-Hansgrohe on Friday.

Roglic’s move, despite a Jumbo-Visma contract through 2025, will let him focus on the 2024 Tour de France as a team leader and was confirmed at a Bora-Hansgrohe news conference before the Tour of Lombardy race.

The 33-year-old Slovenian cyclist has won the Giro d’Italia in May and the Vuelta a España every year from 2019 to 2021, but the Tour de France title remains elusive for him.

The victory of Roglic at the Giro marked the beginning of a successful season for Jumbo-Visma. In July, Jonas Vingegaard defended his Tour de France title, while American Sepp Kuss claimed victory at the Vuelta last month. With Vingegaard taking second place and Roglic coming in third, the Vuelta podium was dominated by the Dutch team, giving insight into their plans for the upcoming season.

Roglic stated that the main reason for his transfer was the team’s strong motivation to collaborate with him and their shared beliefs.

Roglic, who previously competed in ski jumping, was a member of the Jumbo-Visma cycling team for a span of eight years. In addition to his cycling accomplishments, he also earned a gold medal in the road time trial event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

The Lombardy one-day classic on Saturday will mark Primoz’s final race for Jumbo-Visma. Sports director Marc Reef expressed the team’s desire for a strong finish for Primoz, describing him as a polished diamond that they hope will shine once more.

Source: theguardian.com