Primož Roglič to ride Vuelta a España

Primož Roglič will ride his second Grand Tour of the year, the Vuelta a España.

The Slovenian has had a breakthrough season in 2019, winning three week-long stages races and contesting for the pink jersey at the Giro d’Italia in May.

After slipping back in the Italian Grand Tour and settling for a podium finish, Roglič will make his debut at the Vuelta later this month, as his team have listed the race in his schedule on their website.

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The 29-year-old Jumbo-Visma has developed his talents in recent seasons, transitioning from a time triallist into a bona fide Grand Tour contender.

Roglič’s breakthrough began last season when he finished fourth in the Tour de France and won the final mountain stage to Laruns.

He opened 2019 with a bang, winning his first race of the year at the UAE Tour.

Heading into the Giro, Roglič had won all three stage races he had started, including Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour de Romandie, making him a top-tier favourite to win the maglia rosa.

After dominant performances in the first two weeks, Roglič looked set to take over the race lead but began to falter in the pivotal mountain stages in the final third of the race.

He was able to redeem his position in the stage 21 time trial, usurping Mikkel Landa (Movistar) to finish third in Verona.

Jumbo-Visma look to be a team with Grand Tour glory within their grasp, after Steven Kruijswijk then went on to finish third in the 2019 Tour de France.

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With the most dangerous Grand Tour contenders missing from the Vuelta, including Tour winners Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, and Egan Bernal (Team Ineos), the Vuelta could be the moment Dutch team Jumbo take a hard-earned win.

Roglič and Kruijswijk are both down to ride the Spanish tour, along with Kiwi George Bennett, who has two top-10 finishes in Grand Tours to his name.