Is Roglic past his prime?

[Valv.Piti]

No clue how you can be considered the 5th best rider in the world after this season. Extremely mediocre throughout the whole season outside of Catalunya, a race that nobody really targets or peaks for.

More like around 10th at this point

 

[Netserk]

I'd rather have Rogla as team captain than Pedersen.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I'd rather have Rogla as team captain than Pedersen.

Of course you would, but Pedersen is just easily the better rider right now.

 

[acm]

I believe he has another Vuelta GC win in him. To generalize about his abilities based on a single one-day race is nonsense. And I don't think he even reached one peak this season...

 

[Salvarani]

Roglic should try to super-peak like G Thomas has done in recent years for Giro or a 5th Vuelta win.

Suisse and Vuelta would be the best to target. Try to win both or one of them.

Probably do Catalunya and Romandie as well, that both suits him.

I think it would be a mistake to send him with Lipo and Remco as a type of co-leadership or super-dom. That just aint gonna work. Nor would I want to see him ride like in the last Tour again. He is better off calling it then after having great career, then ride on for too long.

 

[tobydawq]

I'd rather have Rogla as team captain than Pedersen.

Good for you.

 

[Red Rick]

Of course you would, but Pedersen is just easily the better rider right now.

Pedersen has very smartly failed to deliver on his biggest targets since 2019 so he'll never get scrutinized for failing to deliver another year.

Also known as the Wout van Aert special.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Pedersen has very smartly failed to deliver on his biggest targets since 2019 so he'll never get scrutinized for failing to deliver another year.

Also known as the Wout van Aert special.

Sure, but Pedersen is still easily a better rider than Roglic right now.

 

[tobydawq]

Pedersen has very smartly failed to deliver on his biggest targets since 2019 so he'll never get scrutinized for failing to deliver another year.

Also known as the Wout van Aert special.

Roglic has failed in his biggest target every single season of his career since he broke through with just one exception.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

No clue how you can be considered the 5th best rider in the world after this season. Extremely mediocre throughout the whole season outside of Catalunya, a race that nobody really targets or peaks for.

More like around 10th at this point

If you are talking about the 2025 season specifically, he is nowhere near 10th best rider. Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel, Del Toro, Van der Poel, Almeida, Onley, Pidcock, Pedersen, McNulty, Merlier, Milan, De Lie, Healy, Lipowitz...
As a simple reference, PCS has him at 35th for 2025.

If you want to assess and extrapolate the level he was able to reach, then i'd say he might still be top 10. Maybe.

I'd rather have Rogla as team captain than Pedersen.

You mean as a leader going to a certain race to get a result, or as a road captain who tells the team what to do at what point in the race? If the former, i would say that very much depends on type of the race, if the latter i would say drugs are bad.

 

[Escarabajo]

A combination of all the answers except the following:
- Yes, his peak form was in 2018-2019 and he is on the decline

 

[Red Rick]

Roglic has failed in his biggest target every single season of his career since he broke through with just one exception.

Usually nails the second target. How often has Pedersen won Roubaix?

Even if they're both 4th best in their current niche, I'd rather be the 4th best GT rider than the 4th best cobbled rider in the current era.

 

[noob]

Semantics. My autistic brain goes nuts when people use a word wrong or exaggerates.

First; is the whole peleton better than when Roglič was at his peak? Guys who has retierd has said the peleton is so much faster the last years. Even Patrick Broe said when commenting on a stage in a race this summer (possibly vuelta but probably earlier) that today's stage was like "before covid". And he's an effing DS, apart from constantly counting numbers on LR.

Bernal has always said he still does the same numbers as before his crash. He beat Roglič today but not with a second. Roglic used to be a bit better than Bernal.

So I'd say Roglič has declined a lot less than it seems. It's the others simply have come past him. And that is not the same thing.

Because of this and crashes he has lost motivation, cause there's no use even trying anymore. The others has become too good.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

Semantics. My autistic brain goes nuts when people use a word wrong or exaggerates.

First; is the whole peleton better than when Roglič was at his peak? Guys who has retierd has said the peleton is so much faster the last years. Even Patrick Broe said when commenting on a stage in a race this summer (possibly vuelta but probably earlier) that today's stage was like "before covid". And he's an effing DS, apart from constantly counting numbers on LR.

Bernal has always said he still does the same numbers as before his crash. He beat Roglič today but not with a second. Roglic used to be a bit better than Bernal.

So I'd say Roglič has declined a lot less than it seems. It's the others simply have come past him. And that is not the same thing.

Because of this and crashes he has lost motivation, cause there's no use even trying anymore. The others has become too good.

He won the Vuelta in pretty dominant fashion just last year…

 

[noob]

I think Roglic is past his prime in the mental drive department mostly. Physically, he still has the ability to get close his best level, long if he' not at near-top level.

I think this is key. I very much agree about the mental drive.

I hope he keeps going way past his prime as hopefully he can't try to climb Everest then. We don't want him to crash on Everest 🥶

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

If you are talking about the 2025 season specifically, he is nowhere near 10th best rider. Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel, Del Toro, Van der Poel, Almeida, Onley, Pidcock, Pedersen, McNulty, Merlier, Milan, De Lie, Healy, Lipowitz...
As a simple reference, PCS has him at 35th for 2025.

If you want to assess and extrapolate the level he was able to reach, then i'd say he might still be top 10. Maybe.


You mean as a leader going to a certain race to get a result, or as a road captain who tells the team what to do at what point in the race? If the former, i would say that very much depends on type of the race, if the latter i would say drugs are bad.

No denying that this year has been a relative bust for Rog. Crashes, infection, illness, and a Giro-Tour double are not a great recipe for great results (although Pog could probably pull it off). But I have to take issue with the bolded. These aren’t his normal results, but the below is still top 10 IMO. Far from top 5, I agree, but still a solid 10 or so rider. Ceiling is still 3rd.

• Catalunya GC win with 2 stage wins, including a dominant stage victory on classics style finale
• 2nd in the first Giro ITT, just behind Tarling and ahead of Vine, Ayuso, Del Toro, and McNulty
• 3rd on Peyragudes ITT, crushing Lipowitz, Jorgensen, Onley et al
• 3rd strongest on Mont Ventoux
• 8th overall after throwing away his 5th placement
• 11th at Worlds despite showing up 36 hours prior, which was a terrible ide
• 5th in Emilia

 

[noob]

He won the Vuelta in pretty dominant fashion just last year…

where are the people he beat this year? Apart from Lipowitz Gaudu? and Skjelmose? has the others been better than him this year?

I think being on antibiotics after a crash and being demotivated and being older is a combo that's just too much.

I also think he might have another vuelta in him.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

where are the people he beat this year? Apart from Lipowitz Gaudu? and Skjelmose? has the others been better than him this year?

I think being on antibiotics after a crash and being demotivated and being older is a combo that's just too much.

I also think he might have another vuelta in him.

I was replying to the implication that he just couldn’t keep up post Covid.

 

[pablohidalgo7]

It’s a combination of all the factors above (except the 2018/19 one) but also a team factor, this year they are underperforming in almost every race with all the riders but Lipowitz and Pellizzari. Primoz is maybe 36 but Vlasov, Martínez, Van Gils, Pithie, Welsford, Fisher Black, Aleotti, Adrià, Lazkano, Tratnik are not (except Jan)… Just can't be a coincidence

 

[noob]

I was replying to the implication that he just couldn’t keep up post Covid.

Ah, I see! To my eyes it seems peleton is faster after covid but also faster after after covid? IE it's faster after 22/23 too?

Vuelta 24 was a somewhat lower level field I think? Lipowitz became good 25 as did Pidcock for example. Gaudu has very varying shape and Skjelmose primarily a one day racer/stage hunter.

But without the giro crashes and antibiotics maybe his shape wouldn't have been this bad. At least that's what I tend to think 🤔

 

[Shortcut]

No, he is still ok. That Giro crashes and illness were just terrible for him. He looked really good at Catalyuna, at Algarve Jonas couldn't distance himself from Roglic and first week in Giro he looked like strongest guy. On ITT (13km) he lost just one second against Tarling. For example he was terrible at ITT in TdF. There is no way that he forgot how to ride in 3 months. Also his results at WC RR and Emilia are much better than last year and i think he will finally have rest without crash,illness or burnout before season ending.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

@CyclistAbi @CyclistAbi @CyclistAbi

 

[Netserk]

@CyclistAbi @CyclistAbi @CyclistAbi

At least try out three different ways to write the name

 

[Ilmaestro99]

I'd rather have Rogla as team captain than Pedersen.

Thank god someone said thjs

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

No denying that this year has been a relative bust for Rog. Crashes, infection, illness, and a Giro-Tour double are not a great recipe for great results (although Pog could probably pull it off). But I have to take issue with the bolded. These aren’t his normal results, but the below is still top 10 IMO. Far from top 5, I agree, but still a solid 10 or so rider. Ceiling is still 3rd.

• Catalunya GC win with 2 stage wins, including a dominant stage victory on classics style finale
• 2nd in the first Giro ITT, just behind Tarling and ahead of Vine, Ayuso, Del Toro, and McNulty
• 3rd on Peyragudes ITT, crushing Lipowitz, Jorgensen, Onley et al
• 3rd strongest on Mont Ventoux
• 8th overall after throwing away his 5th placement
• 11th at Worlds despite showing up 36 hours prior, which was a terrible ide
• 5th in Emilia

Well, it's hard to compare that to say Merlier, a sprinter who has 15 wins this season, just as an example. And similar cases can be made for plenty of other riders. And you are looking at very specific and one-sided context. If i am to make a similar list for let's say Van Wilder, i could also claim he is easily top 15-20. Strongest man on Ventoux, pulling for Paret Peintre to attack, still kept going, rounded up everybody on the climb after his effort, overtook the leaders and again started pulling for Paret Peintre as lead out. Only domestique strong enough in Amstel to keep the gap with Pogacar constant so that Evenepoel and Skjelmose kept him within range to bridge. Bronze at ITT worlds, ahead of super favourite Pogacar, ahead of the world's best ITT'er Armirail, ahead of Del Toro, Küng. 6th in Itzulia, 8th in Suisse, 7th in Algarve, 10th in Paris Nice... And yet PCS has him at 51. And all those ahead of him, can make a similar case, and even better. So what is your list really worth? Nobody is claiming he isn't a quality rider, or that his results were bad or not even that they weren't good. Simply not good enough (this year) to be considered top 10 imho. Because thos other guys also had good results. And making a list like that is very subjective and open to many different interpretations.