Roglic and Vingegaard won’t race together in the two most prestigious Grand Tours of the 2023 season, with the three-time Vuelta winner heading to the Giro d’Italia, and the Tour de France champion defending his title.
Roglic wasn’t present for the presentation due to personal circumstances, but an interview was played during the show. "It’s a race I love but haven't won yet", Roglic said during the training camp in Spain of the Giro d’Italia.
"I'm still recovering from surgery, but by May, I hope to be in good shape. In any case, I will do everything I can to achieve that."
After having surgery on a shoulder joint that had seen Roglic suffer multiple dislocations, the Slovenian star is back in the saddle and preparing for the Giro. His best result at the race is third overall in 2019, when finishing 2’30 behind winner Richard Carapaz.
With Vingegaard, Team Jumbo-Visma is aiming to turn one Tour de France victory into two.
"We figured out how to defeat Pogacar last year,” said Jumbo-Visma team director Merijn Zeeman. “We know his strengths and the areas in which Jonas is superior to him. We return to the Tour with a solid plan, and we believe that we can aim for yellow again with Jonas.”
During the team presentation, the Vuelta was hardly discussed. There's a good reason for that, the sportive director explained.
"December is too early to talk about it,” said Zeeman. “Last year, we intended to highlight this grand tour early because it started in the Netherlands, but the reality is that the plan you make in the winter is no longer valid in the summer.
“We'll check everyone's progress in June as the preparation process won't start until then. So please don't ask us yet who will be at the start in Spain. It is still too early for that and the course has not even yet been determined."
Zeeman also anticipates securing a monumental victory by the spring, with Wout van Aert the prime candidate for a victory in any of the hardest one-day races on the calendar with his versatile skillset.
"The Tour of Flanders and/or Paris-Roubaix,” said Zeeman of the team’s goals. “We want to start with the best possible preparation and aim for the highest possible result.
“Dylan van Baarle, among others, is a crucial addition to our strong classic core. With this collective, I am confident we can win with one of our riders."
