What does Primoz Roglic think about Tadej Pogacar’s statement, “You never know what next year will bring”?

Now that Primoz Roglic’s first season with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is over, the question of whether he can finally beat Tadej Pogacar, who is also from Slovenia and is currently the best cyclist in the world, is bigger than ever.

Roglic had a very up and down season in 2024. He won the Critérium du Dauphiné with a storm, but then he had another terrible crash in the Tour de France. In classic Roglic style, he came back strong and won the Vuelta a España for the fourth time in September. His win also made history for Slovenian cycling. That year, the country won all three Grand Tours: Roglic won the Vuelta and Pogacar won both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France.

The elusive triple crown was completed by Pogacar, riding for UAE Team Emirates. This put him at the top of the world’s cycle rankings. Pogacar was the best rider of all time, winning the Giro, the Tour, and the World Championship. Few riders can hope to do as well as him.

But Roglic is still not giving up. In an interview with Cyclingnews about his plans for 2025, he said that he still wanted to win the Tour de France. He said, “That’s something I’d always like to do.” “However, when I think about next season, I mostly want to get better at a few things and help the team grow.”

Even though Roglic knows it will be very hard to beat Pogacar, his drive is clear. “He can’t be beat right now; he’s really hard to beat.” “But you never know what will happen next year; Tadej might be even better,” he said, showing that he admired Pogacar’s great shape.

Roglic’s plan to beat Pogacar is both easy and risky, which I find interesting. When asked how he planned to handle next season, he joked, “By looking at his schedule and then riding the exact opposite.” Roglic’s attitude is shown by his smiley answer: he doesn’t want to worry about Pogacar’s form; instead, he wants to concentrate on his own performance. “We can’t change his shape, but I can always let it go if I can be the best version of myself,” he said.

Roglic may need to think this way. The driver hasn’t said what races he will be in for in 2025, but it’s clear that he will be motivated to improve his skills and race craft no matter what Pogacar does. Roglic’s new job at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and his years of training and tactical know-how could give him the edge he needs to make a serious run at cycling’s biggest prize.

Will Roglic’s long-term quest for the yellow jersey finally pay off in 2025? Time will tell if this approach, which is based on getting better at yourself and being flexible, is the answer to the Pogacar puzzle. For now, Roglic is not scared. He has his eyes on the future and is working hard to catch up to his tough countryman.