Bora-Hansgrohe rider Primoz Roglič is the latest name to sit out of the upcoming Ardennes Classics in order to focus on recovering from the injuries sustained in the mass crash on stage four of the Itzulia Basque Country, the team have confirmed.
The 2020 Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner was leading the race until he was caught in the 11-man downhill crash, which included Jonas Vindegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Jay Vine. Roglič escaped without fractures but was heavily tangled in the clash.
Roglič joins Evenepoel on the sidelines, who also had his omission from the upcoming races in Belgium and the Netherlands confirmed. The Belgian won the Liège-Bastogne-Liège – the second of the Ardennes Classics – in 2022 and 2023, while Roglič claimed the 2020 title.
“Primož Roglič will continue to focus on recovering from the injuries he sustained at Itzulia Basque Country in the coming days,” a team statement from Bora read.
“He plans to resume training on the bike next week. The two race days at La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège have therefore been removed from his program.”
Dan Lorang, Head of Performance at Bora-Hansgrohe, added that the decision was made with Roglič’s fitness for the Tour de France a priority.
“Primož was with us the whole week to treat his extensive wounds and his knee,” Lorang said.
“We want to give his body time to fully recover from these injuries, because our big goal is the Tour de France. That’s why we’ve decided to focus on his training for the next week.”
The next race on Roglič’s program looks set to be Critérium du Dauphiné in June.