Primoz Roglic Giro d'Italia future in doubt after crash - 'When he's in pain, health comes first'
Published 25/05/2025 at 22:17 GMT+1
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Stage 15 of the Giro d'Italia was a difficult one for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's Primoz Roglic as he struggled to fully recover from his previous crashes and lost more time to his rivals on a gruelling final climb. The team's directeur sportif Christian Pomer said Roglic is still struggling with his injuries, and that "health comes first" amid suggestions the 35-year-old could abandon the race.
'I'm just happy that I finished' - Can Roglic still win the Giro?
Video credit: TNT Sports
Primoz Roglic's Giro d'Italia could be at risk of ending prematurely after he lost 90 seconds on a difficult Stage 15.
The Slovenian's bid for a second maglia rosa took a hit when he crashed for the third time in a week, and he appeared to be struggling on the final climb to Asiago.
His Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team later confirmed that he was still feeling the effects of the crashes.
"There is no point in hiding anymore that he doesn't feel well, that he's in pain. We tried to downplay it a little, and it worked until today, but today we saw the truth," directeur sportif Christian Pomer told the Cycling Podcast.
"We saw a big champion fighting with a great team spirit. In the end, we lost a lot of time, but that's how it is."
It remains to be seen what injuries Roglic sustained in the crash, though he told TNT Sports he was "just happy that I finished" after Stage 15.
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Highlights: Roglic leaks time as Verona takes the day
Video credit: TNT Sports
"I think it's more of a medical decision now. When he's in pain, health comes first, that's what Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe stands for," Pomer added.
"It's not my decision to withdraw a rider from the race; there are clear rules in the team that the medical team takes the decision together with the athlete."
On Roglic's chances of a full recovery, Pomer said: "In Grand Tours, there's a rule that to recover from a crash, you need a week. It's simply a mathematical thing that it's not going to work out easily.
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"We hoped until today. Today, we saw that he did not recover in time."
Speaking on TNT Sports' The Breakaway, Adam Blythe suggested it would be premature to rule out Roglic.
"We don't know what's wrong. There might be an injury we don't know about, there might be a sickness that he's fighting. I still wouldn't count him out," said Blythe.
"When you look at what Chris Froome did in the Giro, against Simon Yates, he took three minutes back on one day. Primoz, on Primoz form, he's got that within him."
Watch the 2025 cycling season, including the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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