Primoš Roglic will start the 2021 season in Paris-Nice, March 7-14. Jumbo Bisma, who was named Slovenia's Sportsperson of the Year on Wednesday night, indicated that the Tour de France and the Tokyo Olympics will be his main goals for the new season. According to [Slovenian website siol.net (opens in new tab)], "Nothing has been decided yet, but what I can already say is that we will start the season with Paris-Nice and then follow last year's program until the Tour. More details will be revealed after final coordination with the team management and staff."

This is the first time that Roglic will participate in Paris-Nice. He was scheduled to start the 2020 season at this event, but due to concerns about a coronavirus outbreak, his Jumbo Visma team withdrew before the start.

Eventually, Roglic started the season at the Slovenian championships in June and competed in the Tour de Ain and Criterium du Dauphiné before finishing second overall in the Tour de France. He recovered from the disappointment of losing the maillot jaune at the last minute to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège and then the Vuelta a España for the second year in a row.

In 2021, Roglic hopes to co-host the Tour with the Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The men's road race will be held on July 24, six days after the Tour ends, and the individual time trial will be held on July 28.

"The Olympics are not as important in cycling as they are in other sports, but for me, coming from a winter sports background, it is important and I want to be in top shape there," Roglic said.

"But I'm going to be in the Tour and there's not much time between these two races. But I believe I can still compete in the Olympics after the Tour."

He said.

Roglic was named Slovenian Athlete of the Year for the second time this week, and on Monday it was announced that he will share the cyclist of the year award with Tadej Pogachar, who beat him in the Tour in dramatic circumstances.

Pogachar told L'Équipe magazine this week that he feels "conflicting emotions" about Roglic's refusal to compete in the Tour. While many in Slovenia had hoped that Jumbo Visma would dismiss the challenge of his young rival, he paid tribute to Roglic's generosity at La Planche des Belle Fils shortly after losing the yellow jersey.

"I never thought about that, but it was a very natural reaction," said Roglic of interrupting Pogachar's flash TV interview to give him a congratulatory hug.

"I wasn't planning it, I didn't have that particular feeling. People who weren't interested in cycling at all noticed it and drew a positive conclusion.