Roglič to appear in Olympic time trial and road race

Ljubljana – Primož Roglič, who had to quit the Tour of France early due to injuries, will compete for Slovenia at the Tokyo Olympic Games both in the road race and the individual time trial, according to the newspaper Delo.

“I’m happy to confirm that Primož will appear in both races,” Slovenia’s men’s cycling team head coach Andrej Hauptman said as quoted by Delo on Tuesday.

“He is not yet in top shape, but he will do everything in his power to be in top form in Tokyo,” said Hauptman in France, where he serves as sports director for UAE Team Emirates, the team of Tadej Pogačar, the Slovenian who has been successfully defending the overall leader’s yellow jersey at the Tour.

The men’s road race in Tokyo is scheduled for the second day of the Games, 24 July, and the men’s individual time trial will be held on 28 July.

Along with Roglič, Slovenia’s men’s cycling team will also feature Pogačar, Jan Polanc and Jan Tratnik. Had his injuries prevented him from appearing, Roglič would be replaced by Luka Mezgec.

“If we have the world’s No. 1 and No. 2, we cannot head for the Olympics merely to take part. We will do all in our power to achieve excellent results. I cannot say we won’t aim for the top,” Hauptman told Delo.

However, he also said that “there are only three medals and the candidates are countless”.

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