Primoz Roglic’s Back Injury May Be His Greatest Hurdle to Winning a Fourth Title – ‘I’m in Pain,’ He Admits

Primoz Roglic’s Back Injury Could Be His Biggest Barrier to a Fourth Title – ‘I Have Pain,’ He Says

Primoz Roglic’s chances of securing a fourth Vuelta a España title may be hindered by a nagging back injury, which he acknowledged after a remarkable Stage 13 performance. Despite significantly closing the gap to race leader Ben O’Connor, the Slovenian admitted to racing with pain, urging caution amid growing optimism. Roglic emphasized that he is taking the race “one day at a time.”

Primoz Roglic (Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe) revealed he is still dealing with back pain and isn’t feeling fully confident, even after his dominant Stage 13 ride at the Vuelta a España. Roglic managed to cut nearly two minutes off Ben O’Connor’s (Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale) lead, bringing him within 1 minute 21 seconds of the Australian. With two significant mountain stages ahead this weekend and nine stages remaining overall, Roglic is emerging as the top contender for a fourth Vuelta title.

However, Roglic, who suffered a hard crash during the Tour de France, expressed caution as he continues to experience back pain during the race. When asked if his back pain affected him on the ride to Puerto de Ancares, Roglic told reporters, including Eurosport, “I have pain. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and today I’m on the winning side. It’s nice to gain time, but I still feel the effects of the effort, and I have to take it day by day.”

Roglic added, “I don’t feel completely confident yet. We were a bit conservative and are approaching the race day by day to see how things develop.”

Roglic excelled on the steep slopes of the final climb, with gradients exceeding 10%, as his Red Bull teammates set the pace for the group of general classification contenders. By the time Roglic launched his attack, the intense pace had already proven too much for O’Connor, and Roglic broke away with a powerful move in his quest for the red jersey.

Despite another strong defense of his lead, O’Connor will need a remarkable recovery to avoid losing more time before the second rest day on Monday. Reflecting on the stage, O’Connor said, “I was exhausted. I wasn’t making any progress today. It’s disappointing, but at least I’m still in the red jersey, so that’s something positive.”

Regarding Roglic’s attack, O’Connor commented, “Honestly, I was already dropped by then, so I didn’t see it. I was just trying to manage my effort; there wasn’t much more I could do today.”