Primož Roglič has revealed that his future is very much up in the air, stating that “it’s possible” that Saturday’s Il Lombardia will be the final race of his decorated career.
The five-time Grand Tour winner, who turns 37 later this month, is coming to the end of his three-year spell at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, and while he has been linked with other teams, nothing has been decided as of yet.
Roglič indicated that he would prefer to race on into 2027, and suggested that’s the likely outcome, but behind the stage at the Il Lombardia team presentation in Bergamo on Friday evening he spoke surprisingly open-endedly about his future.
Latest Videos FromCyclingnews
"You never know when is the last one," he said. "Like everything in life, it can be a bit emotional. I’m looking forward [to the race]."
Asked if he will continue to race next year, he said: "I don’t know it yet. We will see. We will see."
As for whether he wanted to, he replied: "I think so, yes. I think I will still race."
Roglič still needs to find and settle on a team, which is fairly unusual for someone of his stature at this point in the year. He has been linked with a number of teams since the summer, with Tudor Pro Cycling, Lotto-Intermarché, and Pinarello-Q36.5 all cited as possible destinations in recent reports from Daniel Benson’s Cycling Substack and Het Laatste Nieuws.
But Roglič, curiously, left things open. Asked whether Lombardia might be the final race of his career, he said: "I think also possible yeah, you know, why not?
"We will see. I’m not worried. It’s life. We will see."
He then made an interesting comment that hinted at his motivation for carrying on in this sport, saying that had he won a fifth Vuelta a España title instead of finishing runner-up, he would be hanging up his wheels.
"You know, if I win the Vuelta for sure I would be out," he said. “But like this, it’s a bit…it’s still for me… you know… I want to finish it on a [high]."
As for his ability to go for those big results, the Vuelta and the end of the season have been something of a revelation for Roglič, who has endured a tough couple of seasons and looked to be a fading force.
But despite crashing ahead of the Vuelta and ruining his preparation, he finished runner-up and has gone on to light up the World Championships road race, finish 10th at the European road race, and earlier this week add to his palmarès with the European time trial title.
"It’s more difficult. It’s just more and more difficult to really find or do the right thing," Roglič said.
"The moment or the reality is I’m here; tomorrow I have a race. I have to do first things first, so first the racing and then I can speak about it and try to figure it out – when and how it can look, my future."
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for comprehensive race coverage of the UCI Gravel World Championships, alongside the final Monument of the season, Il Lombardia. Subscribers get unlimited access to exclusive analysis from our expert columnists, in-depth features and industry-leading tech insight. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! Join today.
