REIGNING GIRO D’ITALIA champion Primoz Roglic confirmed on Saturday he will exit Dutch team Jumbo-Visma at the end of the season amid talks of a merger with Belgian outfit Soudal-Quick Step.
“I can confirm that I’m leaving the team,” Slovenian Roglic, 33, told journalists before the Giro dell’Emilia cycling race in Italy.Former ski jumper Roglic, the Tokyo Olympics time-trial gold medallist, is under contract with Jumbo-Visma until 2024, having joined in 2016 when the team was called Lotto-Visma.
In the yellow and black jersey, Roglic won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 2020, three Vuelta a Espana titles in 2019, 2020 and 2021, and the Giro d’Italia this year.Jumbo-Visma could merge with Soudal-Quick Step, with the manager of the Belgian team Patrick Lefevere confirming on Saturday discussions are underway.
Jumbo-Visma became the first team in history to win three major Tours – France, Italy, Spain – this year. The two teams include star riders such as Dane Jonas Vingegaard, a two-time Tour de France winner, Belgians Remco Evenepoel and Wout Van Aert, Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe and American Sepp Kuss.