Nice article about Rogla. From the point of view of his teammates and his coach.
https://www.wielerflits.nl/nieuws/primoz-roglic-een-portret-door-de-ogen-van-coach-en-ploegmaats/
Translation:
PRIMOZ ROGLIC: A PORTRAIT THROUGH THE EYES OF COACH AND TEAMMATES
BY NICO ***, FRIDAY MAY 10, 2019 AT 7:15 PM
Tomorrow former ski jumper Primož Roglič starts as one of the absolute favorites in the Tour of Italy. But who is the 29-year-old Slovenian? His personal coach Marc Lamberts and teammates De Plus, De Tier and Van Aert make us wiser ...
“In preparation of the Giro, Primož was on altitude training in the Sierra Nevada with a number of teammates. The weather was not always that good. Snow showers messed up the plan a few times. One day, we couldn't even ride at all. Just that day a long endurance training was planned. No big deal, we could move it. But Primož Roglič didn't feel like it. In the Centro de Alto Rendimiento (at an altitude of 2320 meters, ed.) He jumped on the rollers and rode for exactly six hours and fifteen minutes. "With this I might make the difference," Primož reasoned at the time. "In life you get nothing for nothing." Moreover, he did it with a smile. You just have to do it. "
Robert Gesink
It is Marc Lamberts who tells us the anecdote. Lamberts is, together with Merijn Zeeman, Mathieu Heijboer and Tim Heemskerk, one of the four trainers of the Jumbo-Visma performance team. "We each have a number of riders we take care of," Lamberts clarifies. “In my case they are Floris De Tier, Laurens De Plus, Pascal Eenkhoorn, Koen Bouwman, Maarten Wynants, Wout van Aert and Primož Roglič. From day one that he was part of the team, I have been his personal coach. "
Roglič came to the then LottoNL-Jumbo team in 2016 from the modest continental Adria Mobil. “Frans Maassen was tipped by a Slovenian ex-trainer of Roglič. Keep an eye on that one. There is potential in that one. The man did not exaggerate. Already at the first training camp (December 2015, ed.) we knew what kind of rider we were dealing with. In a so-called field test, in which the riders go all out on an incline after a couple of interval blocks, he reached the summit together with Robert Gesink. We were highly surprised, Robert is not any old cyclist. That little boy from a continental team immediately showed himself in his first test. ” That particular day left an impression with the entire team. The story even comes up spontaneously when talking to Van Aert and De Plus. "We weren't there ourselves, but at Jumbo-Visma the story is recounted often."
Like Alaphilippe
At the same time, Primož Roglič was by no means the rider he is today, Lamberts says. “When he arrived, his greatest asset was his explosiveness. He was actually the type of rider as we know Julian Alaphilippe today. He could push very high wattages in a short efforts. But he could not maintain that for half an hour. His anaerobic threshold per kilogram of body weight was not high enough for that. But we have been working hard on that in the past three years. "
While he won races three or four years ago with his explosiveness, now Roglič has completely evolved into a classification rider. "That is trainable, yes. Of course, most of it is genetic, but if you have it, you can shift it a little bit, "Lamberts explains. “That is what we have done with Primož in recent years. We have raised that anaerobic threshold, so that he can maintain his high power for longer. "
20 minute test
Apart from his athletic abilities, Roglič is also very driven. "I compare him with Jurgen Van den Broeck, who was also in my care," says Lamberts. “I remember a day in the Sierra Nevada with heavy ice. Everyone jumped off the bike and went to the trailer. Jurgen refused. He entered the hotel, numb, but he was convinced that he could make a difference that way. But the difference is that Primož is a lot more talented than Van den Broeck. Jurgen will certainly not blame me for saying that. "
Wout van Aert has also been working with Marc Lamberts for years. "Which made me closely follow Primož's development in recent years," said the triple cyclocross world champion. “Through Marc I quickly knew what a talent he was. I remember when, two years ago, I wanted to develop my time trial more, I completed a 20-minute test that came close to Roglič's wattages. Only ... I weighed 15 kilograms more than him. Well ... It immediately put my performance in the right perspective. I quickly realized that a stage race specialist is on a different level. "
Dinner
Primož Roglič turns out to be a great guy. "Great guy to work with," says Lamberts. "Grateful, honest, pleasant to deal with, making him a good member of the group." His teammates confirm. “Something negative? Sorry, but I can't think of it, "laughs Floris De Tier, who joined LottoNL-Jumbo in 2017. "I would like to quote a few examples." Whereupon De Tier returns briefly to the Tour of the Basque Country 2018.
“I already had a lot of respect for him as a leader, but in the Basque Country that has grown. One evening I was the last to get a massage, so I didn't make it to the agreed time to go to the table. Logically, a number of guys had already finished eating when I first joined. And since rest is important in a stage race, most of them quickly moved to their room. But one stayed at the table until I too had finished eating. Yes, Primož Roglič, who was nevertheless leader in the rankings and could use all the extra rest he could get. It may sound trivial, but that is something that stays with me. It shows how he goes through life as a person. It shows how he is down to earth despite his status. His upbringing will have a lot to do with that. "
On Tenerife
A thank you message from Roglič the day after that victory in that Tour of the Basque Country has also been remembered by De Tier. “He crashed early in the last stage. I remember that Movistar (Landa was second in the rankings, ed.) started to ride full gass. It was my job to bring Primož back into the peloton. I succeeded, after which I gave him some encouragement. "Believe in it. There is no one better than you! "A day later he sent me the text:" Thanks again, Floris. What you did and said gave me some extra confidence. "Well, that makes you want to turn yourself inside out for your leader even more."
Since this winter, Laurens De Plus, who will be Roglič's last man in the mountains for the next three weeks, can also talk about it. "Our übermensch", laughs De Plus when we ask him about his experiences with the Slovenian. “Those are all-rounders, aren't they? But in addition, Primož is indeed a great guy. I met him in the Tour of Lombardy, where I could actually get ride him off of my wheel. Once, you know. It never happened again. During that breakaway we also talked a bit. He even recommended me to Jumbo-Visma. But our close relationship only came into being during altitude training in Tenerife, together with Steven Kruijswijk and Antwan Tolhoek. In a small company and during long endurance training you always get to know each other better. Riding the bike together. And you sleep in the same room. The fire for this Giro had already started to burn. How do I characterize him? Like a leader standing among the riders. Very down to earth. ”
Champions
"He doesn't hestitate to listen to us either," De Plus continues . “He likes to know our opinion, our perspective on certain things and then takes it into account. And that gives us, as a domestique, that little bit of extra confidence so that we go to the limit for him if we have to. His gratitude has also struck me in recent months. On the other hand: honesty commands me to say that that is a characteristic of great champions. I also noticed that with a number of leaders at Deceuninck-Quick-Step. ”
Something that both Van Aert, De Plus and Lamberts already noticed: Roglič can work towards a goal like no other. "And this Giro is a perfect example of that," says De Plus. “He stuck that in his head this winter and no longer deviates from his goal. He is also incredibly absorbed in it. And he makes us believe with him. ”
"Training six hours is not a challenge for him"
The East Fleming likes to refer again to Roglic's physical ability. “What can't he do? He is a born climber, he can descend like no other, he is one of the best time trialists, but he is also explosive, which means he can sprint. Just ask Wout. During training camp they sprinted against each other once. Wout standing on the pedals, Primož in the saddle. But he just kept riding next to Wout, without giving an inch. ” The Tier refers to his physique. “The power he can put from his lower back and thighs. The aerodynamics and his style. That must also have a lot to do with its past as a ski jumper. ”
De Plus: “He doesn't talk about that much about his past. Although he sometimes says that ski jumping was damn intensive. Hence his uncompromising mentality as a hard worker. When training for six hours in a row is a real challenge for many riders, he thinks it isn't all that bad. ”“ That's right, ”adds Van Aert. “And he can handle a lot of volume. You shouldn't underestimate that either. ”
A beer at the airport
Even though Roglič works meticulously towards a goal, he can also "let go", his team mates say. "Enjoying the moments when it is possible," laughs De Plus. “A pint at the airport when he flies home after a race piece of cake after training. Why not? ”“ He watches everything, but never too rigorously, ”Van Aert adds. “That also fits with his character: no nonsense, not like a freak watching his wattage meter all day. He also does not weigh his meals down to the gram. In fact, Primoz does not correspond to the typical image that I have in mind when I think of a GC specialist. He is looser. He needs that, just to keep the focus, I think. "
Finally, we wanted to know from Marc Lamberts how things are now with Roglič towards the Giro. Isn't the Slovenian peaking too early? "No!", Lamberts is convinced. “He wasn't really peaking in Romandie. After all, he had just returned from altitude training. But before the start of the Giro he must be at 98 percent. To get a blow in that firsttime trial, no favorite wants that. After that, it is a matter of maintaining that form for three weeks or even improving the last percent. But the story that a rider with 'barely' 95 percent of his ability can start a grand tour and grow to 100 percent in the following weeks, I don't believe in that. "
. How can we have so many good posts and so many idiots in the same room?
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