Vuelta a Espana: Primoz Roglic back on the bike after Tour de France abandonment, two weeks before Grand Tour

Updated 05/08/2022 at 15:56 GMT

Jumbo-Visma’s Primoz Roglic is back in training ahead of the Vuelta a Espana which begins on August 19 in Utrecht, Netherlands. However, whether the 32-year-old can return to fitness in time to make the start line and lead the team in the final Grand Tour of the year remains uncertain. Stream La Vuelta live and on-demand on discovery+.

'Preparation for Vuelta' - Roglic talks to Contador during Stage 13

Primoz Roglic has returned to training following his abandonment from the Tour de France, although his chances of racing in the Vuelta a Espana are up in the air.

Roglic crashed on the cobbles in Stage 5 of the Tour, dislocating his shoulder before continuing to race on. However, he pulled out on Stage 15 as team-mate Jonas Vingegaard won the overall race, ahead of Tadej Pogacar and Geraint Thomas.

Just before his early departure from the Tour, Roglic told reporters he was suffering from harsh back pain which felt like “every pedal stroke seated is having a knife in the back”.

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On Thursday, he took to Instagram with a picture of him training near his home in Monaco.

"A classic good morning photo when you are finally back on the road," Roglic wrote.

Will Roglic race in the Vuelta?

Roglic’s participation in the Vuelta, which begins on August 19 in the Netherlands, depends on the form he shows in training over the next few days.

With Pogacar not competing in the final Grand Tour of the year, to focus on the World Championships in September and the one-day classics, and Vingegaard also unlikely to take part in the Vuelta, Roglic would be one of the favourites for overall victory.

That depends on if he can return to full fitness in time to be competitive against the likes of Richard Carapaz, Simon Yates, Remco Evenepoel and Giro d’Italia winner Jai Hindley who are all confirmed to be on the Vuelta startline.

Sepp Kuss would became Jumbo-Visma’s de facto leader if Roglic is not ready to race, although it would be a big blow for the team to not have their three-time Vuelta winner as part of their roster.

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Stream La Vuelta live and on-demand on discovery+. You can also watch all the action live on eurosport.co.uk.

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