It's hard to believe that it's only been six years since Primoz Roglic drove and then rode across north-western Slovenia to the stage finish of the Giro d'Italia at Altopiano del Montasio to see his first Grand Tour in person.
"I remember it very well," Roglic tells Cyclingnews. "It was a very steep finish, and Rigoberto Urán won. I was standing there with the other fans when the riders went past. Wow.
"Then I went over to Kranska Gora [the nearest town, in Slovenia -ed] by car with my bike in the back, because a lot of teams were staying there and then I saw Cadel Evans and all these guys there from the Giro."
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The Jumbo-Visma rider half-gurgles, half-snorts with laughter when asked if he ever thought one day he'd be amongst the Giro peloton himself, and finally manages to splutter out a two-word answer: "Ha. No."
A lengthier explanation and qualification follows: "At the time I was riding a bike and dreaming about it. So, OK, make that, 'Yes and no.' I was thinking about it, because in sport, you're always looking forward, thinking about what you can do in the future."
Three years later, though, what you could call simple wishful thinking from any amateur had become reality, and Roglic was in the Giro peloton. But, he says, he didn't feel any sense of triumph at the time at having crossed over the invisible barrier between the roadside fans and the Giro stars themselves.
Now a favourite
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/from-fan-to-favourite-primoz-roglics-giro-ditalia-journey
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