While the opening stages of the 2025 Tour de France have
been filled with chaos and headlines, with many crazy crashes, Primoz Roglic has
flown largely under the radar. But not everyone sees that as a positive.
The Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe team leader lost 39 seconds
in the echelons on day one and has yet to make a visible impact on the race.
Though some observers see a quiet first week as a smart way to conserve energy,
Jan Hermsen believes the team has failed their five-time Grand Tour winner.
“I would rather see them keep him calm in the first
week and see how far he can go. Ride a good time trial and then see how far he
can go. I would never let him down and they did in the first stage.”
Roglic is returning to racing just weeks after crashing out
of the Giro d’Italia in May. His physical condition and timing have naturally
been under scrutiny, and Hermsen doesn’t think the signs so far are
encouraging.
“He was also in a gap in the second stage, while that
finish was a finish where he would have won in the past. In all respects,
Roglic is not participating in this Tour de France. You see that in everything,
you notice it in everything. He is more attentive and is in a better position
than in the Giro, but he is not a shadow of the Roglic we know.”