Everyone cited altitude affecting their recovery, and recovery from 6h of intervals was never his strong suit to begin with. He would also have done some extra work defending countermoves, especially in the early finale.I think he should have realistically been expected to finish with the Ciccone, Del Toro, Ayuso group. 3 minutes back from there isn’t terrible, but not amazing. His season has been so strange though that’s it tough to know what kind of form he’s in or should be in or when he should be at peak, if ever this year.
But the race was at altitude.It's normal for your first effort after coming from training at altitude not to be the best, and even less so if it's such a violent one. It's usual to improve over the next week or two after altitude, so it's clear to me that his peak is scheduled for Lombardy (even though it's equally impossible to win) and that for Rwanda he arrived in good shape but without any freshness in his legs, knowing that he didn´t have any real options either.
In Emilia he should be more sharp
Still not the same conditions as Sierra Nevada but yes, it's as if he added an extra few days to his high-altitude training (maybe that's why he only did 2 weeks). In any case, he should be better in Italy with some competition in his legs.But the race was at altitude.
A few years ago I was completely ambivalent towards Roglic, now I adore him. I have no memory of how or why things changed, but interviews like this just make me like him even more.
It is often a bit difficult to cheer on the biggest favorites and Visma was still a superior team under Roglic. Maybe that's why you didn't notice what a great character he is. Either way, you're forgiven.A few years ago I was completely ambivalent towards Roglic, now I adore him. I have no memory of how or why things changed, but interviews like this just make me like him even more.