Sometimes the biggest motivation is to fight for someone else

Adria Mobil has supported road cycling for two decades and the Adria Mobil Cycling Team is the leading national Slovenian team. Adria is also one of the biggest sponsors of the Tour of Slovenia where the world’s top riders’ “fight for green”.
Slovene rider, Primož Roglič, a former ski jumper turned professional cyclist, has become an Adria brand ambassador and recently visited our state of the art factory to collect his Sonic Supreme.

Born on 29. 10. 1989 in Trbovlje, Slovenia, Primoz has dedicated practically his whole life to ski jumping and now cycling. He attended high school for Economy in Kranj and later also the Faculty of Organizational Sciences. In year 2006 they won the silver medal in the youth world cup ski jumping in Kranj, a year later in Italy they become youth world champions. In the same year Primož achieved 2 victories in continental cup in Planica and in America`s Westby. Then on the biggest ski-jump at that time he suffered with a big accident when he fell badly. He stops ski jumping later in the year 2012, and was already starting with cycling.

His cycling career speaks for itself with highlights so being a former winner of the Tour of Slovenia cycling race, he then had a breakthrough year in 2018 winning two stages at the famous Tour de France, coming fourth overall. In 2019 he came third in the Giro d ’Italia and he is currently ranked the 5th best cyclist in the world.
“I am really looking forward to using the Sonic with my family and it will help with my professional career too as a cyclist, it’s great to have mobile accommodation and a basecamp on the road”. Primož commented.

Primož – World class athlete
Life as a world-class athlete is relentless and Primož trains up to 7 hours a day. He tries to organize his professional life with his long-time partner and family, who support him on his travels. Results at this level requires 120% of a person, a real 24 hours a day job and he has to really take care of himself, his eating, sleeping and his body.

We interviewed Primož earlier in 2019 and met up with him during his visit to the Adria factory in July to collect a Sonic Supreme, which he will use as part of his routine, in training, competing and relaxing with his young family.

Primož, how do you feel that as a newcomer last year, you achieved two stage victories and fourth place overall in the 2018 Tour de France?
This achievement does not happen overnight. Of course, I'm very pleased that I've succeeded in doing this, but I'm not surprised because I have worked very hard every day up to this point. Every race has a finish line at the end and you have to give it 120 per cent or more if you want to finish first. And even that is not always enough; a lot of things have to fall into place. You also need a bit of luck.

We are already in the middle of the cycling season. How do you spend your days - are you a man of routine when it comes to training?
I am a man of routine. The fact is you get nothing for nothing, and I'm just like everyone else who goes to work in the morning, except in my job, I sit on my bicycle and train! Like all people, I have bad days and good days, but I try to change the days when I don't feel very inspired into very good days on the bike.

You and your partner Lora seem inseparable; they also call you the "invincible duo”. During a race, she always stands in the spot that you have specified. What does that mean to you when you ride past her?
It depends on the race. She is usually in the spot where I think I might need her most. When a race gets really hard, you have to find a higher meaning that will help you fight to the end. When you really run out of steam, when you cannot find the strength to go on – and simply overcoming yourself is not a sufficient motive any more, you just have to start fighting for someone else.

What part of the race is the most challenging for you?
Most challenging is when the race is approaching the point where it will be decided. That is where everyone in the whole peloton feels the most nervous; everyone wants to get to the front. The terrain is not even that important, it can be a decisive roundabout, a narrowing of the road or riding uphill. The greatest danger comes from errors and unwanted problems; most energy is lost there.

Tell us about your equipment, your team and how they support you.
I trust my team and the people responsible for that particular area of expertise. There is too much going on to be able to control everything, to manage it alone. My job is to ride the bicycle whatever shape it happens to be in. I have at least 3 bikes available for every race so there is never a situation where I am left without. I do not pick bikes depending on the terrain; the bike is usually the same one, but with different settings: sprocket, wheel, etc.

Would you say that professional cycling is a healthy way of life?
Yes, of course. Well, I don't know about the sort of physical exertion that is required on, say, Tour de France. Naturally, given that your body is your tool and your strength, you also want to provide it with all the best in terms of food and regeneration, so we always try to maximize our efforts to stay in our peak condition.
What is your diet like, for example, during off time compared to during the season?
Food is mostly fuel and I eat primarily according to the principles of a healthy diet. It is important to listen to your body to hear what it needs. During the holidays I do not devote as much attention to thinking of food, there is more freedom in consuming "empty calories" from eating lots of pizza and drinking beer!

How important are the athlete's physique and body size in cycling? You had an almost ideal body for ski jumping – maybe cycling, especially uphill, requires a different kind of strength, perhaps a more muscular physique...?
I don't think it's important. If you just take a look at the colourful assortment of riders in any given peloton, you will find just about every size there is. What is more important, I think, is the engine under the hood. Nonetheless, there is definitely a difference between the same muscles of ski jumpers and cyclists.

What challenges have you set yourself at the beginning of this season? Considering the fact that you are a perfectionist, I will rephrase my question – how much will be good enough for you to still be satisfied with yourself?
My goal is to constantly improve all my cycling skills – uphill climbs, time trials, predicting how the race will unfold, riding in a group, knowing the terrain, etc. In cycling the outcome is influenced by a large number of factors. I just work hard to ensure I always give it my all.

You can follow Primož’s adventures here on www.adria-mobil.com, on Adria Facebook page and on Primož’s Facebook page.