Primož Roglič has revealed he still needs another month off the bike as he recovers from bone graft surgery to address a shoulder problem caused by a series of crashes.
The Jumbo-Visma leader, who went under the knife on October 10, revealed that he underwent some kind of bone graft to stabilise his left shoulder. He recently celebrated his 33rd birthday wearing a shoulder brace and revealed on Instagram that while he has some movement, he will need another month before he can ride again.
"Rehab is going as planned. As you can see, I've got a bit of movement," Roglič said in a video, raising his right arm slightly.
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"I still need to wait, probably a month or so to jump on the bike but I'm busy with other projects. Next week we release a calendar for our Foundation. Check out the link. I'll keep you posted."
Roglič was awarded the Golden Order of Merit from the President of Slovenia and took part in a ride organised by his Primoz Roglič Foundation before going into hospital. The Foundation helps the development of cycling and young athletes. The Golden Lap ride in Slovenia raised €20,000 with the funds spent on children's bikes and helmets.
Roglič decided to undergo surgery at the end of a difficult season, which saw him again involved in a number of crashes.
This year saw him take the overall titles at Paris-Nice and the Critérium du Dauphiné, but he dislocated his shoulder in a crash on stage 5 of the Tour de France across the Paris-Roubaix cobbles.
He stayed in the race to support Jonas Vingegaard but eventual climbed off in pain before stage 15 saying: "Every pedal stroke seated is like having a knife in the back."
He also crashed out of the Vuelta a España while in contention for a fourth straight overall victory. Roglič and Jumbo-Visma blamed Fred Wright for the crash despite Roglič appearing to move across towards the Bahrain Victorious rider.
"It's no secret that I already have several dislocations. I've reached the point where I have to fix it," Roglič told Slovenian media before his surgery.
"They cut off a piece of your bone and move it to where the dislocation is happening. The arm will be immobilised for six to eight weeks after surgery, and then I'll have passive range of motion. Fortunately, we're not quite in May or June."
Roglič is likely to return to road training when he attends Jumbo-Visma's December training camp.
"I have reached the limit where I have to fix these things so that I can be even stronger and start preparing for new challenges in the new season," he said.
"I have to respect what they tell me. We will certainly do everything to get back on the bike as quickly as possible."
