Primoz Roglic joins Remco Evenepoel and Geraint Thomas on 2023 Giro d’Italia start list

Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) will return to Grand Tour racing at the Giro d’Italia next year.

The Slovenian will resume his rivalry with Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), who ended his three-year winning streak at La Vuelta in September. Roglic was wiped out in a bizarre crash in Spain as his title defence unravelled in the final week, with the 33-year-old not racing since.

He had shoulder surgery in October to fix a long-standing shoulder issue and only recently returned to the bike ahead of the upcoming season.

“A race I love but haven’t won yet”, Roglic said about the Giro during a training camp in Spain.

“I’m still recovering from surgery, but by May, I hope to be in good shape. In any case, I will do everything I can to achieve that.”

Former Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) will also be racing at the Giro.

Roglic raced at the Giro in 2016 and 2019, and has won three stages at the event. He also finished third overall in 2019.

He will be out for revenge against Evenepoel, who will start as favourite after his stunning win at the Vuelta.

Evenepoel revealed his dream was to win all three Grand Tours after his triumph in Spain, meaning a Giro success should tee up a showdown with Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) at the 2024 Tour de France.