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Primoz Roglic has won the Giro dell'Emilia for the third time. The 33-year-old Slovenian attacked furiously in the final stages, leaving the other favourites in his wake on the steep roads to the Basilica of San Luca in Bologna.
"It's a fantastic feeling to win here again”, Roglic said. "I love this race so much. The climbs of San Luca and the rich history make this race iconic. I enjoyed it. The support from the fans was great."
Carpi hosted the start of the 106th edition of the Giro dell'Emilia. Led by UAE Team Emirates, a select group of favourites, including Roglic, headed for the final climb to San Luca. In the last kilometre, Roglic accelerated at breakneck speed. The Jumbo-Visma leader took his third victory in the Italian semi-classic. In the same place, Roglic had also won the prologue of the 2019 Giro d'Italia. Tadej Pogacar and Simon Yates completed the podium.
"you have to be able to suffer to win here"
"The final was very tough”, Roglic said. "Every climb in San Luca is painful. So you have to be able to suffer to win here. When I felt I had good legs, I decided to go flat out in the last kilometre. I am happy that I was able to finish it off.”
Before the start, Roglic announced that he will leave Team Jumbo-Visma at the end of the season. "I can confirm that I will leave the team after an incredible time together. My focus is on the final goals of this season. Some significant races are coming up in the next few weeks, including Il Lombardia. I am looking forward to them.”
"I will always admire him"
"Primoz will always be in my heart as our king”, Managing Director Richard Plugge said. “We are very grateful to him for finding the way to the top together. I will always admire him on a personal level. But there comes a time when it is best to part ways. Recently, he asked for a transfer. We understood his request, and we have too much respect for each other to stand in each other's way. We gave him the green light, just like we did with Dylan Groenewegen.”
It was Roglic's 15th win of the season and his 80th professional victory. As of today, the Jumbo-Visma team has won 63 races this year.