As the 2020 cycling season draws nearer to its end, it has certainly been anything but predictable—but perhaps we should have seen this one coming. Following Primož Roglič’s history-making win at the 2019 Vuelta, a first-such title for a competitor from his home country, the Slovenian cyclist has claimed Grand Tour glory again, earning back-to-back Vuelta victories and returning La Roja to the “sunny side of the Alps.” And just as in last year’s win, he led the way with fizik.

A NAIL-BITING BACK AND FORTH

From a early-season training to claiming his second Vuelta victory, Primož Roglič’s 2020 season has been dramatic, to say the least. After narrowly missing out on the maillot jaune in the Tour’s final time trial, fate saw fit to restore Roglič’s leader status following another race against the clock, this time on the Vuelta’s thirteenth stage, leading to his third (and ultimately lasting) turn wearing red.

And while Roglič’s commitment to winning was evident all along, getting there was anything but easy. In addition to the challenge of La Vuelta’s eighteen daunting stages, he’d soon find himself locked in a heated fight for first against fellow fizik rider and 2019 Giro d’Italia champion Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers).

From the outset climbing Alto de Arrete, the battle between these two riders was fierce, with Roglič ending this year’s opening stage in the same color as last year’s final, and managing to hold the top spot before a blistering attack on stage six catapulted Carapaz from third to first. Making up ground on the eighth stage, Roglič beat Carapaz to the finish atop Alto de Moncalvillo, narrowing the Ecuadorian’s overall lead before re-donning the red jersey two days later, somewhat controversially, with tied overall times.

Again two stages later, the jersey swapped backs as Carapaz managed to break the three-day, two-way tie on the steep slopes of Alto de l’Angliru. But this short lead wouldn’t hold, with Primož poetically reclaiming La Roja in an individual time trial, restoring self-confidence in a format that cost him considerably earlier in the season.

SUPPORTING VICTORIES

Beneath Primož Roglič’s powerful Vuelta performance sits the fizik Antares 00 Saddle, a race-bred saddle that’s earned accolades throughout the pro peloton as well as top spots on cycling’s grandest podiums. Rewind to Roglič’s 2019 Vuelta win, and while the competition was different, the saddle was the same.

Of course, Primož wasn’t the only pro making waves at La Vuelta with fizik. Second-place finisher Richard Carapaz can stand tall following a strong showing throughout the race as well as the entire season.

To Primož Roglič and his Jumbo Visma team, as well as all our fizik riders and fans around the world, congratulations on creating history again, on re-winning the Vuelta and making it an unprecedented, unforgettable Grand Tour season!

When the 2020 road racing season finally kicks of this fall, it will almost certainly look quite different than in years past. As riders prepare in the runup to the first races, training has also taken on a different form, with group rides in the great outdoors swapped for solo spins inside and training camps traded for time at home with family.

To find out more, we spoke with Primož Roglič, last year’s Vuelta winner and the first Slovenian to claim Grand Tour victory, to ask how he’s been staying physically and mentally fit as well as what training means without his fellow Jumbo-Visma teammates.

First off, can you introduce yourself?

I’m Primož Roglic. I’m 30 years old and Slovenian.

Where have you spent this period of global quarantine? Can you tell us a bit about where you live?

I spent the whole lockdown at home in Slovenia. I am fortunate to be able to live in the midst of greenery and in nature, so I have not suffered much from having to stay at home. Instead, I tried to convey the message to others that you had to stay at home, It’s a question of respect for yourself and for your neighbor.

What has training looked like for you?

Thanks to Zwift and the rollers, I was able to continue pedaling, even without being able to train outside. Obviously, it was a completely different workout. I never really liked the rollers, I always preferred to ride outside, even in winter when it is cold or in bad weather.

It was strange to be able to train solely and exclusively on the rollers for more than forty days. Some days, I even had more than two sessions a day. You need to be very focused to be able to hold on to the rollers for more than three hours.

Although with Zwift you seem to be pedaling somewhere real, it’s not the same as the wind in your face, and the fatigue isn’t the same. I cycled every day with my child who enjoyed holding my water bottles, and this was the best thing about riding inside.

Are there any particular Zwift routes you recommend?

I don’t feel like recommending any virtual path. Ride outside, outdoors, be careful, but don’t give up the pleasure of freedom.

What fizik products are you riding?

I have been riding with the Antares 00 saddle for three years now. I like the stiffness of the saddle and its lightness. These two factors are fundamental for marginal gains when you are going uphill and every small component can make a difference.

The thing I like most about fizik is that I can work with innovative people who listen to my feedback to try to improve continuously. The Adaptive saddle fascinates me a lot. I think that with this new product, fizik has managed to get noticed even more as a brand aimed at absolute innovation.

I believe that everyone needs to have a dedicated product for themselves, and with this saddle in a few years, everyone will be able to have an exclusive rigid performance saddle, suitable for any type of need.

How have you been staying mentally fit during this time?

The lockdown was a very strange moment for an athlete of my caliber, who is used to being away from home for training at least four hours a day and staying away from home for competitions, retreats and commitments with the team for more than 250 days a year. Usually, I’m only off for a few weeks in October, and I’ve never had the chance to spend so much time at home with my family. It was pleasant to spend time with my little boy, who was born last year shortly after the Giro d’Italia. I had the opportunity to be able to spend a lot of time with him, to see him grow up and to be a dad full time.

I can say that, thanks to my family, I have not suffered so much.

What are you most looking forward to from the upcoming racing season?

It will be great to get back into the thrill of competition, to feel the energy and excitement and to ride with my teammates again. I expect it will be a bit bittersweet to leave my home and family and our new normal, but I’m eager to push myself again and to see how this unusual training season pays off.

As we too eagerly anticipate the excitement and familiarity of the pro cycling season, we wish Primož and all our fizik riders, whether indoors or out, happy riding and a fast return.  

After 17 stages, the General Classification battle in this year’s Tour de France couldn’t be more finely balanced! Tensions are beginning to show in the peloton as the temperature soars, with the lead riders hiding their exhaustion, elation, hopes and fears behind poker faces and the season’s oversized mirrored eyewear.

The pressure is on Team Ineos and Infinito R1 Knit-wearing defending champion Geraint Thomas with a 1:35 deficit and threats from every angle. The main GC contenders, including Team Ineos’ “G” and Egan Bernal, and Team Jumbo-Visma’s Steven Kruijswijk (just 12 seconds behind in third) survived the heat and stress of stages 16 and 17, maximising efficiency to save energy for the decisive three Alpine stages.

Going into Stage 18 there are just 39 seconds between positions 2 and 6, with the Movistar Team duo of Mikel Landa and Alejandro Valverde following closely behind, and ready to attack. With Ineos and Jumbo-Visma both caught between the conflicting demands to attack and defend, and that challenge amplified by depleted squads, it’s also a tactical minefield. The main protagonists might not always see eye to eye, but they share a focus:

Ahead of them on today’s 208km Stage 18 are four increasingly high climbs, culminating in the 2,642m Galibier that steepens throughout its 23km and offers bonus seconds at the top before 20km of descent to the line. Then, shorter at 126.5km, Stage 19 is dominated by the single, long HC climb of 2,770m Col de l’Iseran with its steep finale… which could make or break dreams ahead of the uphill finish in Tignes. After that, anyone still in contention on Saturday will face multiple opportunities to attack – or demands to defend – on the 4,450 metres of ascent packed into the 130km of pain to the high altitude summit finish in Val Thorens.

On Sunday’s processional roll-in to Paris, only the final sprint is contested and the GC champion will be toasted with champagne. But who?

The biggest race of all rarely fails to excite, and this year’s edition has already brought thrills and spills for fizik riders, with a lot more potential over the coming stages, with a short time trial before the challenges and opportunities of the mountains that put the finest riders under extreme pressure to produce astonishing, mesmeric performances.

Jumbo-Visma riders have been grabbing the headlines with four stage wins so far. ‘Unlikely hero’ Mike Teunissen surprised everyone by swapping his yellow team jersey for the official ASO shade in the 100th year of the maillot jaune. Following an imperious TTT victory Dylan Groenewegan bossed a chaotic sprint on in Chalon-sur-Saône, and Wout van Aert’s powerful dash to the stage 10 line with his Antares R1 sent shivers up the spine before his nasty crash in the closing stages of the ITT. His brave efforts add another dramatic twist to today’s lumpy 27.2km Individual Time Trial at Pau, where the beautifully poised General Classification battle hots up ahead of the remaining Pyrennean and then Alpine stages.

Team Ineos’ TTT second place set up the good early GC positions for joint leaders Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal. Staying on the right side of stage 10’s sidewind-induced split ensured they go into the ITT in second and third respectively. Even without the absence of some strong chrono-men, “G” would be amongst the favorites to win today. He’s been playing cool with the media but make no mistake, he is immensely proud of the number 1 dossard he earned last July, riding in his super-ventilated Infinito R1 Knit shoes.

Van Aert and his GC lead Steven Kruijswijk are both on form: “If you look back at the Dauphine time trial, I gained time on most of the GC guys… Hopefully I can do the same.” said De Kleerhanger.

 Movistar Team’s joint leader Nairo Quintana is also ready to pounce: “It’s going to be all about going flat out, and there are no other options,” said his director sportive Txente García Acosta. The Lion aims to head into the final two Pyrenees climbing stages in his Infinito R1 Movistar shoes in a position to threaten for the overall, and complete his Grand Tour ‘set’.

Although it’s ‘only’ 117km long, Saturday’s Stage 14 includes a punishing 19km ascent of the iconic Col du Tourmalet – could its summit finish prove instrumental? And who will attack where on Sunday’s 185km mountains stage that takes in the back-to-back pain of the Port de Lers, Mur de Péguère and the Prat d’Albis with another 12km ascent?

With Monday’s rest day to recover, all our riders know they could decide to go full gas on either to make the difference… but the following six stages mix sprints with some increasingly tough Alpine adventures, which those GC contenders will also have in mind when they work out how much, if anything, they could leave ‘in the tank’ in the Pyrenees. They are risks to take, decisions to make and opportunities for glory!

The pure passion of the world’s biggest race brings out amazing, inspired performances and occasionally a genuine surprise result. The opening weekend of the 106^th Tour de France delivered on both fronts – and how!

While all the world’s finest teams did their best to channel the emotion of the two stages being held in Brussels – 50 years since Belgium’s most famous cyclist made his maiden Tour de France victory – it was the leading Dutch team who shone brightest. With crowds 10-deep and every major landmark, including the iconic Atomium, hung with yellow banners, it was the yellow of Team Jumbo-Visma that remains burned in the fans’ retinas.

MAKING HISTORY ON SATURDAY 

Saturday’s 194.5km Stage 1 route ended, as expected in a bunch sprint. Yet the first man across the line was anything but expected: celebrating 100 years of the maillot jaune, first time Grand Tour stage winner Mike Teunissen won the sprint in front of the Laeken Castle ahead of sprinting biggest names.

The 26-year-old had been supporting Jumbo’s recognized sprinter Dylan Groenewegen who crashed, along with other members of his lead-out team. Their frustration at being taken out soon dissipated with the elation of Teunissen’s shock victory.

SMASHING IT ON SUNDAY

Unbelievable though Saturday was, it turned out to be a mere warm-up for Sunday’s explosive Team Time Trial. We had expected good form from Jumbo-Visma but nobody quite predicted the yellow machine’s dominance.

Team Ineos had gone out first and occupied the TTT hot seats for almost three hours as each outfit fell short of their mark for the 27.6km route.

Jumbo-Visma went out fast and led at every checkpoint. With crushingly metronomic pace and discipline they negotiated the technical last section to finish on 28:57 in an average 56.551kph. They put 20 seconds into Team Ineos; a similar amount that covered the next eight teams.

After two stages Teunissen holds both the yellow and green (points) jerseys. Logically Jumbo-Visma also lead in the Team Classification, and Wout Van Aert wears the white jersey of best young rider.

The 102nd Giro d’Italia has served up plenty of talking points in its first 12 stages. After winning the first of three Individual Time Trials in Bologna, Primož Roglič of Team Jumbo-Visma held the first Maglia Rosa until the GC table was shaken up by a breakaway on Stage 6. The Slovenian showed his form again on the second ITT (34.8km into San Marino), moving up to second, 1:50 behind the Maglia Rosa, but importantly with an increased advantage over his main GC rivals, 1:44 to the nearest threat, Nibali.

The overall standings were shaken up on Stage 12, a break triggering splintered groups and some unexpected names hitting the top 10. Roglic is still in second, now more than 4 minutes down – maintaining his advantage over his recognised GC rivals.

STAGE WINS

We saw an impressive win for Richard Carapaz of Movistar Team on Stage 4, the Ecuadorian climber dancing away from a high class breakaway bunch to claim his second Grand Tour stage victory. It was soon followed by a podium on Stage 6 for his team-mate José Rojas who sits in fourth on GC. Both remain dedicated to their Spanish team leader Mikel Landa who has work to do as the climbing starts.

The next day it was the turn of AG2R La Mondiale’s Tony Gallopin to step up on the podium, taking second place from the remnants of a brave breakaway in an exciting finish in l’Aquila. Meanwhile, his team-mate and fellow Frenchman Nans Peters was riding high, third on GC and looking good in the Maglia Bianca of the best young rider until Stage 12’s breakaway and overall reshuffle.

We’ve seen Team Ineos’ young lead duo – Pavel Sivakov and Tao Geoghegan Hart – holding station on the GC despite getting caught in crashes, and their more experienced team-mate Christian Knees making a late break ahead of the sprint finish on Stage 11 into Novi Ligure before 22-year-old Irishman Eddie Dunbar’s brilliant performance to take third place on Stage 12.

NEXT, THE MOUNTAINS

There’s a lot of climbing this week. On today’s Stage 13 the climbing keeps on coming with three hard KOMs, while Saturday’s Stage 14 features five KOMs and a total elevation of 4,000m culminating in the summit finish of Courmayeur.

Sunday’s stage is the longest. Its 237km from Ivrea to the shores of Lake Como includes ascents familiar from Il Lombardia: Madonna del Ghisallo, Colma di Sormano, Civiglio and San Fermo.

Monday 27 May is the second rest day of the 102nd Corsa Rosa, before the climbing continues ahead of the final day’s concluding time trial in Verona.

Jumbo-Visma’s GC leader Primož Roglič is in the pink from the earliest opportunity after claiming the first Maglia Rosa of the 102nd Corsa Rosa.

The Slovenian was head and shoulders ahead of his competitors, winning the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia on the 8km Individual Time Trial – with its spiky 2km climb at the finish to the San Luca sanctuary – forging a 19-second advantage over the chasing pack that he has maintained after the following two stages which featured sprint finishes.

As bad weather had been predicted towards the end of the Stage 1 running order many of the favorites took the early slots available to their teams, creating an unusual situation where the lead was held from near the start of proceedings. Roglič went early and was to wait in the hot-seat for more than two hours until his victory was confirmed after the solid but ultimately unsuccessful effort by Simon Yates, then the final run from Salvatore Puccio.

The Slovenian’s Stage 1 win sets up the overall battle perfectly, with his General Classification rivals all facing a time deficit and psychological hill to climb.

The mercury is rising ahead of the ‘grande partenza’ of the Giro d’Italia on Saturday 11th May. The 102nd edition of the Corsa Rosa immediately pitches the riders into its relentlessly combative route, with the first of three Individual Time Trials, an 8km test from Bologna up to the hilltop San Luca sanctuary to claim the year’s first Maglia Rosa.

21 stages later the riders reach Verona – with so much to be won or lost along the 3,518.5km route. The General Classification fight will be fierce, but as this year’s race, almost entirely ridden in Italy, also features six mountain stages with around 46,500m of climbing, the Points and Mountains classifications will make for epic battles.

The updated start lists are submitted to the race organisers – here’s what to expect:

Team Jumbo-Visma ’s Primož Roglič was recently reminiscing with media about his days as a fan, watching the 2013 Giro from the roadside.

Back then the Colombian was riding for Team Sky, on a fizik Aliante saddle, and looking for a GC podium, now it’s the Solvenian’s turn on his Antares 00. And it’s the three time trials combined with the climbing that could well play into the 29-year-old’s favor. While the Italian riders will naturally attract the most of the fans’ attention, this year’s route pushes the riders north-east in the final week, closer to Roglic’s homeland.

Team Ineos’ roster of riders remains constant from the Team Sky days, but the leadership of its first Grand Tour team is unfamiliar, youthful and exciting.

With Chris Froome electing not to defend his title, Geraint Thomas also concentrating on the Tour de France, and the highly talented 22-year-old Colombian Egan Bernal – who was expected to lead for the Giro 102 – suffering the misfortune of a broken collarbone, it’s a serendipitous opportunity for a young duo sharing the helm of the GC charge for the 102nd Giro: Pavel Sivakov, 21-year-old Russian winner of April’s five-stage Tour of the Alps, and the British rider with whom he combined so successfully in that race, Tao Geoghegan Hart: the 24-year-old came second overall, having picked up two stage wins.

Movistar Team’s line-up also features a late change. With World Champion Alejandro Valverde, who was initially planned to be a GC lead, forced to withdraw as he recovers from injuries sustained in a crash on his 39th birthday, leadership duties fall solely to the Spaniard’s compatriot Mikel Landa, who is hoping for a return to his brilliant best form, after a tough 2018.

Landa has previously hit the final GC podium at the Giro, as well as winning three individual stages and the Mountains Classification; and there is no doubt that his motivation is high to regain the winning feeling for himself and team team.

AG2R La Mondiale have decided to keep their powder dry on their most experienced General Classification campaigner, Romain Bardet, enabling him to focus purely on riding the Tour de France this season, rather than compete the Giro d’Italia as well. So after fighting eight Tours de France, 30-year-old Tony Gallopin is set to start the Corsa Rosa for the first time, as the GC leader.

Having already achieved stage wins at the Tour and Vuelta, he’d love to ‘complete the set’, although the stage hunting may come from elsewhere in his predominantly French pack: Alexis Vuillermoz is a dangerous puncheur and one to watch.

There will also be poignancy in the 2019 Giro, with a number of riders wearing special edition shoes – called Infinito R1 19 19 – that commemorate the centenary of the historic 1919 edition. Their eye-catching design includes a reflective material – see if you can spot them.

Clear your diary for Sunday 14^th April, sit back and enjoy the 117^th edition of Paris-Roubaix, comprising 257km and 29 sections of pave covering 54.5km. The ‘Queen of the Classics’ is arguably the most prestigious one-day race in cycling and begins in Compiegne, situated to the east of the French capital, before finishing in the iconic open-air velodrome at Roubaix.

In between the riders face debilitating cobbles with the Troueé d’Arenberg (164.5km), Mons-en-Pévèle (212km) and Carrefour de l’Arbre (242.5km) given five-star status as the hardest and longest of the race. There’s a degree of respite before then with the 29 sectors of pave not beginning until the 97km mark. The biggest crowds of the day are often reserved for sector 5 (Camphin-en-Pévèle, 239.5km) and sector 4 (Carrefour de l’Arbre) where the final attacks are typically made.

Will the biggest cheers be reserved for Philippe Gilbert (Infinito R1 shoes)? The 36-year-old legend made his Paris-Roubaix debut in 2018 and looked strong in the lead group before suffering from hydration issues. Has he learnt his fuelling lesson second time around?

After a strong ride for World Champion Alejandro Valverde at Sunday’s Tour of Flanders, Movistar Team’s hopes now rest on Belgian Jurgen Roelandts’ shoulders. The 33-year-old has been putting in some fine rides in the early part of the 2019 campaign – his first season with the Spanish team – and will relish the lead role, with support from a squad including the experience of Daniele Bennati, 38, and the youth of Jamie Castrillo who has just turned 23.

Team Sky’s attacking intent could come from any number of riders. Dylan van Baarle lit up last Sunday’s Tour of Flanders, forging a four-man breakaway for 20km of the 266km test. Van Baarle was reeled in but dug deep – again – in the final kilometer but lost out in a group sprint. Gianni Moscon and Luke Rowe both have Paris-Roubaix top-10s on their palmares.

Wout van Aert leads Team Jumbo-Visma off the back of an assured Milan-Sanremo, third at Strade Bianche and second at the E3 BinckBank Classic. In his second Roubaix appearance, he’ll look for protection from the experienced Amund Grondahl Jansen and Maarten Wynants.

AG2R La Mondiale has real strength in depth at Paris-Roubaix, specifically with Silvan Dillier and Oliver Naesen. Dillier was the only rider capable of staying with Peter Sagan at the 2018 edition, the two leaders entering the velodrome together before the Slovak pipped the Swiss at the line. Naesen has enjoyed spring, finishing second at Milan-Sanremo and third at Gent-Wevelgem… can the 28-year-old turn them into victory come Sunday 14^th?

The 103^rd edition of de Ronde van Vlaanderen – the Tour of Flanders – takes place on Sunday 7^th April, 270.1km of parcours featuring a staggering 17 hills and five stretches of pave. It’s the second monument of the season after March’s Milan-Sanremo where AGR2 La Mondiale’s Oliver Naesen and Team Sky’s Michal Kwiatkowski finished second and third, respectively.

The riders ‘enjoy’ their first taste of the cobbles after 80km on the Lippenhovenstraat and Paddestraat. The cobbled climb up Oude Kwaremont makes its first appearance after 120km and then, with around 170km on the clock, the riders hit the Wall of Geraardsbergen. The legendary 1km ascent maxes out at 20% before cresting beside the iconic chapel. The closing Paterberg is only 360m long but averages 12.9%, peaks at 20.3% and could decide the race. But which of cycling’s hardmen will win?

You can’t ignore 2017 winner Philippe Gilbert (he was wearing R1B shoes then and rides Infinito R1 now) who would love to improve on his third place last year, albeit abandoning through sickness in Wednesday’s Dwars doors Vlaanderen casts doubts. As for other leading contenders…

Movistar Team’s World Champion Alejandro Valverde is making his Flanders debut. The 38-year-old suggests his inexperience on the pave might prevent victory but cycling is nothing if not unpredictable. And, of course, El Bala will have experienced Belgian teammate Jurgen Roelandts alongside him. Nelson Oliveira also showed good form attacking at Dwars doors Vlaanderen.

Luke Rowe heads into Flanders for Team Sky, looking strong at Dwars doors Vlaanderen. The longer distance – 270.1km versus 182km – could play into the Welshman’s hands. He’ll be supported by the likes of Gianni Moscon and Christian Knees.

Wout van Aert only joined the Dutch Team Jumbo-Visma on 1^st March but has already finished sixth at Milan-San Remo, third at Strade Bianche and second at the E3 BinckBank Classic. It’s why many have the three-time Cyclocross World Champion as their favorite. It’d be one of the most remarkable stories in the history of cycling if the 24-year-old can claim the Flanders crown.

AG2R La Mondiale’s Oliver Naesen’s third at Gent-Wevelgem is proof of the Belgian’s form. Aligned with the fact 69 of the previous editions of Tour of Flanders have been won by a Belgian, it’s clear to see why many are tipping the 28-year-old as the man to beat. His powerful team includes the experienced Tony Gallopin and Silvan Dillier.