Roglic opens with time trial victory in Itzulia Basque Country
Primoz Roglic has won the first stage of the Itzulia Basque Country. The Slovenian of Team Jumbo-Visma was the fastest in the opening time trial of almost fourteen kilometres. Team Jumbo-Visma rode a very strong time trial in general as well with the third place for Jonas Vingegaard and the fourth place for Tobias Foss.
It is the fourth victory of the season for Roglic after having already won three stages in Paris-Nice. It’s the twelfth victory for Team Jumbo-Visma of the year.
"I am very happy with this victory and with my performance today."
“I am very happy with this victory and with my performance today”, Roglic said. “It’s always special and beautiful when you win. It was a very good day for us. The time trial here is always tough and I like to race in the Basque Country. The course was a nice challenge with a mix of climbs, descents, fast turns and a steep wall at the end. It is a great start for us, but we will have a tough week ahead of us. The field here is really strong and the next stages are going to be very tough.”
"Winning a time trial is always beautiful and definitely in such a strong field."
Sports director Frans Maassen was impressed by the performance of his team. “I am proud of the team with three riders in the top four. Winning a time trial is always beautiful and definitely in such a strong field. Primoz is our leader this week, but it may be in his favour if Jonas and Tobias can remain close in the overall standings.”