Cyclist Primož Roglič confirms Jumbo-Visma exit to focus on 2024 Tour de France with Bora-Hansgrohe

Jumbo Visma's Primoz Roglic waves fans before the start of... — Jumbo Visma's Primoz Roglic waves fans before the start of the thirteen stage of La Vuelta between Pamplona and Lekunberri, 158,5 km (98.4 miles) in Pamplona, northern Spain, Sunday Sept. 10, 2023. Credit: AP/Alvaro Barrientos

By The Associated PressOctober 6, 2023

COMO, Italy — Cycling superteam Jumbo-Visma is losing one of its trio of Grand Tour winners this season with Primož Roglič announcing Friday his transfer to join Bora-Hansgrohe.

Roglič’s move, despite a Jumbo-Visma contract through 2025, will let him focus on the 2024 Tour de France as a team leader and was confirmed at a Bora-Hansgrohe news conference ahead of the Tour of Lombardy race.

The Tour is the only Grand Tour title the 33-year-old Slovenian rider lacks after winning the Giro d’Italia in May and the Spanish Vuelta each year from 2019 to 2021.

Roglič’s Giro win started a season sweep for Jumbo-Visma before Jonas Vingegaard retained his Tour title in July and American Sepp Kuss won the Vuelta last month.

The Vuelta podium sweep by the Dutch team – Vingegaard was runner-up and Roglič third — suggested what its priorities might be next season.

Explaining his transfer, Roglič said: “The decisive factor was that the team is really motivated to work with me, and that we hold the same ideas.”

Roglič, a former ski jumper, rode for Jumbo-Visma for eight years and also won an Olympic gold medal in the road time trial at the Tokyo Games held in 2021.

CORRECTS TO ''WINS THE VUELTA'' - The winner Sepp Kuss... — CORRECTS TO ''WINS THE VUELTA'' - The winner Sepp Kuss of Jumbo-Visma, center, celebrates with teammates, second place Jonas Vingegaard, left, and third place Primoz Roglic on the podium after winning the Vuelta cycling race in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. Credit: AP/Manu Fernandez

His farewell race for Jumbo-Visma is Saturday in the Lombardy one-day classic.

“We want to end Primoz’s time in our team with a top performance and hope that the polished diamond that Primoz is will shine again,” sports director Marc Reef said.