"I want to spend some time at home"
Good morning,
These are today's quotes and interviews worth your time.
Stood out to me today: "They put me naked in a glass elevator at the Hotel Puerta de Madrid and kept sending the elevator up and down."
¡Vamos!
🎤 INTERESTING INTERVIEWS
“I want to spend some time at home”
Primož Roglič on a deliberately quiet summer
Roglič opened his 2026 season at Tirreno Adriatico this week, largely working in support of teammate Giulio Pellizzari. His own performance was solid, finishing fifth overall, but his season plan is what draws attention. Speaking to Peloton, the Slovenian laid out a schedule that leaves a significant gap between the Tour de Romandie in late April and the Vuelta a España in late August.
"I try to enjoy every period in life," he said. "You're only born once and things constantly change. That's part of life." The decision to step back is deliberate and, by his account, mutual. "I made that decision myself, in consultation with others. We aligned our programmes and it's okay. I want to spend some time at home."
The context matters. This is the final year of his contract with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. A prolonged summer away from racing, with a record fifth Vuelta victory as the singular target, is a notable choice. "I've been away from home for a long time," he said simply, "so I want to spend some time with my family."
“Modern cycling can be a lonely sport”
Michael Woods on disconnection inside the peloton
Newly retired Canadian pro Michael Woods wrote in a recent blog entry, as covered by Cycling Weekly, that the image of bike racing as a social, communal adventure does not match what he experienced on the inside.
"Cycling, in the modern era, can often be a lonely sport," he wrote. "If you go on the team bus of most WorldTour teams during a transfer, most riders, directors, and staff aren't chatting. They have their Bose over-the-ear headphones on, their iPads, iPhones, or computers out, and Netflix is in abundance."
Woods frames it as a generational shift, contrasting the present with a pre-internet era when buses and transfers were shared social time.
“I'm doing Milano-San Remo just for Tadej”
Isaac del Toro on winning Tirreno Adriatico and what comes next
Two WorldTour stage races this spring, two victories. Isaac del Toro crossed the line in San Benedetto del Tronto as Tirreno Adriatico overall winner, beating Matteo Jorgenson by 40 seconds.
The 22-year-old requested to ride the Tour de France alongside Pogačar rather than target a separate Grand Tour. He has already ridden the Vuelta and the Giro. "It was more about my choice and what I want this year. It's important for the future. I've raced the Vuelta and the Giro, so it's a good moment to do the Tour. It's the right moment to go and learn about the biggest races in the sport," he told CyclingNews. On the subject of Pogačar's influence, he is clear-eyed rather than reverential. "He's set the level in the last few years, so it's not easy to compare myself with Tadej but I really like how he does everything. He really goes with the flow and with the feeling in the race."
Milano-San Remo is next, and del Toro arrives in peak form but with no personal ambition on the table. With Narvaez and Wellens injured and unavailable, he knows exactly what is required. "I'm doing Milano-San Remo just for Tadej. I'm not looking for any kind of result for myself." Asked specifically about his role on the Cipressa, he confirmed: "Now that Narvaez and Wellens are not there, I need to be 120% and do a great job."
“We haven't been able to see how good he really is”
José De Cauwer and Renaat Schotte on what Vingegaard's Paris-Nice win does and doesn't prove
After Jonas Vingegaard dominated Paris-Nice, Sporza TV commentators and analysts José De Cauwer and Renaat Schotte sat down to assess what was actually on display.
De Cauwer's position was clear from the start. "Especially the crashes. It was a beheaded Paris-Nice. We saw a good Jonas Vingegaard. We saw a very strong Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. In the beginning they really delivered." The problem: "Because of the crashes of Juan Ayuso first of all, and Daniel Martínez and a few others, Paris-Nice was a little beheaded on the opposition side. That's what we needed. We saw a very good Jonas Vingegaard, but we weren't able to measure the opposition. We haven't been able to see how good he really is. That's actually a real shame."
Schotte pushed on whether the margins of victory suggested Vingegaard had genuinely improved. De Cauwer acknowledged the data but immediately widened the frame. "Everyone is riding better numbers. Gianni Vermeersch is riding better numbers, the Van Dijkes are riding better numbers, Pogačar is riding better numbers, Van der Poel is riding better numbers. Everyone is riding better numbers."
On the Campenaerts factor, De Cauwer was warmer: "Victor Campenaerts is truly super important. He may know how important he is, but people perhaps don't fully realise it yet. I can imagine, knowing Vingegaard, that it must be wonderful. He's a calming presence, someone who is always by his side. Not just to talk to, but also to pedal with. He's there to deliver the final lead-out and can blow things apart."
🏆 THE SERGE BAGUET AWARD
Not awarded today
Wonder what The Serge Baguet Award is all about? Check it out here.
💬 QUICK QUOTES
“Tadej received a different jersey, a different colour jersey with the same UAE sponsors, but in red, blue and yellow. Why? Because people lose 10 seconds, 20 seconds to recognise him and by that time he is already too far.” — Alex Carera, Pogačar's manager, explaining the special training jersey designed to keep fans at bay, in Domestique Cycling.
“Do I think the winner of San Remo has been racing here in Tirreno Adriatico? Yes. If I were to say no, I would have very little confidence in myself." — Wout van Aert in Sporza.
“I think there are still many things I can improve. I wasn't exactly at the level I wanted.” — Isaac del Toro, despite winning Tirreno Adriatico, in Cycling Pro Net.
“I've won it now; next year I can hand it back to Matteo Jorgenson.” — Jonas Vingegaard, joking about his Paris-Nice victory after Jorgenson won the race the two previous years, in IDL Pro Cycling.
“I got quite nervous in the finale. I felt confident, but I was also anxious because I wanted to finish it off. Especially when Van der Breggen told me she wasn't going to follow after the climb.” — Karlijn Swinkels after winning Trofeo Binda, in WielerFlits.
“For a moment I thought about stopping.” — Daniel Felipe Martínez on the strange crash caused by teammate Laurence Pithie that nearly cost him his Paris-Nice podium finish, in CyclingNews.
“Many years ago. I remember one at Saunier Duval, well I was already at Caisse d'Epargne but Saunier still existed. It was a much harder prank than what I did to them: they put me naked in a glass elevator at the Hotel Puerta de Madrid and kept sending the elevator up and down.” — Joaquim 'Purito' Rodríguez on pranks in the peloton, in Marca.
That's it for today. See you tomorrow 👋
Jay