Merijn Zeeman, the head of Jumbo-Visma, has been in the team’s car during most of the major races of the year and spoke about the conflicts within Jumbo-Visma and the possible departure of Primoz Roglic from the team.
“With all the team leaders, performance managers, coaches, and other team members, we discuss literally everything,” Zeeman told the Dutch website In de Leiderstrui.
“Of course, in Spain, everything went well. On the other hand, you always have to keep the door open for improvements. If you start believing that your own way is the best, then decay has already set in, as it has in other teams, and we can learn from them.”
Primoz Roglic’s Dissatisfaction
While Jonas Vingegaard agreed with the team leadership and Sepp Kuss, Primoz Roglic was not as satisfied, having prepared specifically for the race for months and not made any mistakes. Now, rumors of a possible departure have increased, despite having two years left on his contract.
“To be honest, I’m not too concerned about it. Besides, we are continually developing cyclists. Primoz has become the undisputed leader of the team with us,” Zeeman responds directly to Movistar Team, Lidl-Trek, and even INEOS Grenadiers, teams mentioned in recent months as interested in signing Roglic. The main argument from the Slovenian rider revolves around his inability to lead the Dutch team in the Tour de France due to the presence of the current champion, Jonas Vingegaard.
However, he presents another obvious point that is often overlooked by those who claim his chances of success would improve elsewhere. “I believe it’s in Primoz’s interest to fight for a Tour victory wearing the Jumbo-Visma jersey. If he were to leave, he’d have to compete against formidable rivals like Vingegaard or Kuss,” Zeeman adds. “Being teammates with such strong cyclists is a better position than competing against them,” Merijn Zeeman concludes.