With two Tirreno-Adriatico titles on his palmarès, Primož Roglič knows the Race of the Two Seas better than most in the current peloton. The Slovenian lines up to start the week-long race for a sixth time on Monday, though if he's eyeing a third overall victory, he wouldn't admit it.
Instead, Roglič, who turned 36 last October, is well aware that it would take something special to get the better of a younger crop of GC riders, one which at this race includes Isaac del Toro.
Roglič, who took home the famous trident trophy on his last appearance at Tirreno-Adriatico three years ago, is spurred on by the next generation of stage racers, he told several reporters, including Cyclingnews, ahead of stage 1.
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"It's completely crazy to say no, that I will come here and win this race or whatever," Roglič answered when asked whether his ambitions have altered, seeing as it's his first outing of the new season.
"We all see and feel from last year that the young guys are riding faster and faster year after year, which is good for us because they're kicking us in the ass that we have to work and move. So, the field is strong, we have strong guys around, and the level will be strong.
Roglič went on to say that he's not racing Tirreno with a particular goal in mind, whether that's the overall win, a certain top placing, or a stage victory to go with the four he already has.
Instead, he'll be evaluating his race by comparing his own ride with those younger GC hopefuls.
"If I'm honest – I always like to win – but from the other side, if I would put myself, having won stages here and won Tirreno, I wouldn't put it in terms of a result," he said.
"For me, it would be more satisfying to see that I can still be in the mix with these young guys, be there fighting for the best. I think that's more important for me than a result at all."
But beyond the basic facts of the ages around the peloton, Roglič said that it's not something that makes a difference once the flag drops and racing gets underway.
"Tomorrow we all start and nobody will say how old you are, so you do this place. We all start from zero, and that's, in the end, the beauty of the sport. We ought to have to prove it. I love it," he said."
Roglič's Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team will be filled out by several other major names, as former Giro d'Italia winner Jai Hindley and Italy's rising star Giulio Pellizzari go along for the ride. Jan Tratnik, Gianni Moscon, Giovanni Aleotti, and sprinter Danny van Poppel complete the lineup.
The team has been one of the most successful in the peloton to start the season, already racking up 10 victories to leave them second only to UAE Team Emirates-XRG in the peloton's win rankings.
Star winter signing Remco Evenepoel is responsible for six of those triumphs, with the Volta Comunitat Valenciana and a stage of the UAE Tour the standouts to date. Roglič, with Evenepoel's arrival now no longer the team's GC top dog, recognised, however, that one rider's success brings success to the whole team.
"Obviously, with Remco coming in, he has a big name. He already proved it, he won a couple of races this year," he said.
"For us, it's super good. In the end, the more races we can win, the better it is for everyone. So yes, it's a start, and we'll try to do our best and see how it goes."
