REIGNING GIRO D’ITALIA champion Primoz Roglic confirmed on Saturday he will exit Dutch team Jumbo-Visma at the end of the season amid talks of a merger with Belgian outfit Soudal-Quick Step.
“I can confirm that I’m leaving the team,” Slovenian Roglic, 33, told journalists before the Giro dell’Emilia cycling race in Italy.
“I’ll say after the races (in Italy) where I’ll go.”
Former ski jumper Roglic, the Tokyo Olympics time-trial gold medallist, is under contract with Jumbo-Visma until 2024, having joined in 2016 when the team was called Lotto-Visma.
In the yellow and black jersey, Roglic won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 2020, three Vuelta a Espana titles in 2019, 2020 and 2021, and the Giro d’Italia this year.
He was also runner-up in the 2020 Tour de France having worn the leader’s yellow jersey for 11 days.
Jumbo-Visma could merge with Soudal-Quick Step, with the manager of the Belgian team Patrick Lefevere confirming on Saturday discussions are underway.
Jumbo-Visma became the first team in history to win three major Tours – France, Italy, Spain – this year.
The two teams include star riders such as Dane Jonas Vingegaard, a two-time Tour de France winner, Belgians Remco Evenepoel and Wout Van Aert, Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe and American Sepp Kuss.
Kuss won this year’s Vuelta ahead of Jumbo teammates Vingegaard and Roglic.
