Primoz Roglic’s best kept secret

primoz roglic it does not meet the classic parameters of most cyclists. He came to cycling after giving up ski jumping after suffering a serious fall. He didn’t start training on a bike until he was 20 years old and his way of looking at cycling was special, different from most of the peloton members. And this proves what the Slovenian, triple winner, does the return, is customarily performed before stages on a grand tour. Not satisfied with the needs of a long day on the bike, the leader of Jumbo-Visma He has a habit of jogging first thing in the morning, an unusual practice among his peers. Roglic is not the only professional cyclist with the soul of a ‘runner’, Dumoulin, Woods or Van Aert They participated in athletics events and had outstanding performances, but it didn’t happen that another cyclist put on some running shoes and ran before getting on the roller to warm up and prepare for a stage.

In the past tour de france, Roglic says it’s part of his training and it’s good for his head. Your team’s performance manager, Mathieu Heijboer, acknowledged that “Primoz has a habit of exercising in the morning and maintains this habit, he used to do something every morning. In the Tour he continued to run but for less time and at a slower pace, sometimes only 15 to 20 minute jogs”, and made it clear that “if he’s not used to doing it, I wouldn’t recommend it”, on the line expressed in MD of physical trainer Jaume Palauwho has worked with elite athletes such as Alex Crivillé or Toni Elíaswho is currently working on MotoGP rider Takaaki Nakagami and deals with and deals with athletes from different specialties, such as roller hockey or cycling.

“The only one who knows his body, his sensations, his performance, the response to this activity in the morning is Roglic himself”, although to assess the comfort or not of this practice a few hours before filming, Palau points out that “we must know the purpose he is looking for with it, if he is fasting, if he drinks or eats something and the intensity”. Jaume is clear that “the safest thing is his protocol, which he was used to and knew would serve his purpose well. For an athlete at this level, doing 20′ of easy running does not necessarily harm him, and since it has a certain effect, it certainly activates the circulatory, osteoarticular and muscular systems to a greater extent. He knows himself and he knows what is good for him.”

But Palau warned that “another cyclist should not do this without training. Everyone has their own protocol. Every athlete at this level knows what can be right or wrong. What is clear is that at a professional level training planning, training, loading and rest must be personalized”, because “the same training, training and protocols will not have the same effect and result in all cyclists. Don’t try new things in competition. Every protocol, like hydration and supplementation guidelines, must be tested, experimented, studied in non-competitive periods, and, if possible, in competitions where the goal is a specific and real training. It’s about rehearsing and finding situations as real as possible to know what routine, what protocols the athlete will use and perform on important days”, concludes Jaume Palau.

Obviously, yes, the great cycling fan “I’m sure going for a 20-minute run at 6:00 in the morning like Primoz does, he knows he’s working well, he’s protocolized. He’s clear. about his purposes, why He’s doing it… and he certainly knows.”