Primož Roglič has officially signed for BORA-hansgrohe on a two-year deal, ending speculation over his future following confirmation of his decision to leave Jumbo-Visma earlier this week.
The Slovenian’s signature represents a major coup for the German outfit, and marks an immediate fracture of Jumbo-Visma’s all-conquering triumvirate of Roglič, Jonas Vingegaard, and Sepp Kuss, who between them won all three Grand Tours in 2023.
Roglič had been heavily linked with Ineos Grenadiers before BORA-hansgrohe emerged as the frontrunners over recent days.
The decision ends his eight-year stay at Jumbo-Visma, with whom he was under contract until 2025.
Roglič was a key figure in the team’s dominance, but it appears Vingegaard’s stranglehold over the Tour de France and Sepp Kuss’ emergence as a serious Grand Tour contender led the Slovenian to question his leadership opportunities for the 2024 season.
The Tour de France is the only Grand Tour title to evade the three-time Vuelta champion and 2023 Giro d’Italia winner. The transfer to BORA-hansgrohe guarantees him an opportunity to challenge for the 2024 Tour with the undisputed backing of his team, which would not have been the case at Jumbo-Visma.
“The decisive factor was that the team is motivated to work with me”
“I am looking forward to this step, even though a team change is kind of like new territory for me,” Roglič said at Friday’s press conference.
“The good memories of when we met years ago made the talks easy. But the decisive factor was that the team is really motivated to work with me, and that we hold the same ideas.”
CyclingNews reports that BORA-hansgrohe paid a fee of €3 million ($3.17 million USD) to Jumbo-Visma to buy out the remaining two years of Roglič’s contract at the Dutch outfit.
Roglič’s salary at BORA-hansgrohe will reportedly earn him €10 million ($10.56 million USD) over the duration of the two-year contract.
We want to hear from you!
Has Roglič made the correct decision in leaving Jumbo-Visma? Was BORA-hansgrohe the correct choice for his new team, or should he have looked elsewhere? And what does this mean for Jumbo-Visma’s prospects in the 2024 season?
Let us know in the comments below!
