Primoz Roglic shrugs off injury concerns as he targets record fifth Vuelta a Espana win - 'I don't want to complain'
By Ben Morse
Published 20/08/2026 at 21:26 GMT+1
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Primoz Roglic has shrugged off any injury concerns surrounding his preparations for the 2026 La Vuelta a Espana as the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider gets ready to suit up for the race he has become so synonymous with.
Cyclists, supporters pay tribute to Tarling at Tour of Britain before opening stage
Video credit: TNT Sports
The 36-year-old is a four-time Vuelta winner and is targeting a record fifth win at the final Grand Tour of the year which begins on Saturday, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
But Roglic's plans for this year's race were thrown up in the air when he was involved in a serious crash in training less than a month ago.
Against the odds, the Slovenian looks set to participate at the Vuelta once again and is keen to put his injury woes behind him.
"I always say that I don't want to complain or lose words about it," he told TNT Sports.
"But I'm here and I'm excited to get started. Normally the plan is preparation towards the race but I had to do rehabilitation towards the race."
Despite Roglic's carefree nature on the eve of the race, the Red Bull rider also went into details about how painful his injury was.
"10, 14 days ago, I couldn't do anything. When the car hit, at first I thought it was not such a big thing, the speed was super-slow, and I fell on my side and on my ass. Luckily," he told reporters, per Cyclingnews.
"But then there was a super big haematoma; I couldn't do much for at least three weeks. If you asked me 10 days back, I wouldn't say I could sit on a TT bike.
"Just putting socks on my feet was the hardest thing for these three weeks. Luckily, at the end I could start to move. I still cannot lie on my right side but I feel good enough to ride my bike and come here to start the Vuelta."
He added: "After crashing, I couldn't think about sitting, nor even riding a bike. As for what that means, maybe Stage 1 and a 9 km time trial should be fine. But then for later on, we'll see how it goes."
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Before the crash Roglic had produced a series of mediocre results but, alongside his compatriot Tadej Pogacar, he is seen as one of the favourites for this year's race.
As someone so associated with the Vuelta, Roglic explained how excited he was for the race to be starting in Monaco.
"It's just crazy. Super special," he said. "So I'm happy and privileged to experience this thing."
Roglic's form and injury misfortune has increased rumours he might leave Red Bull at the end of this season, with Lotto-Intermarche being linked to acquiring his talents for next year's campaign.
How to watch La Vuelta 2026 on TV and live stream
Watch every stage of La Vuelta from start to finish live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
Orla Chennaoui will once again front the live coverage, with Adam Blythe and Matt Stephens on analysis duty throughout the race.
Rob Hatch, Sean Kelly and Matt Winston will join Blythe and Stephens in the commentary booth, while Robbie McEwen arrives in week three.
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