As a result of the crash, Roglic was sucked back into the peloton with his shorts ripped and with cuts and bruises on his legs.
The struggles didn’t end there. After suffering a mechanical fault which dramatically reduced his speed, the 31-year-old fell to the tarmac again with about 20 kilometers to go.
Roglic’s resolve didn’t crumble with his lead long gone as he managed to complete the 92.7km stage, finishing 15th in the overall rankings.
“It was a huge fight to the finish in which I gave everything. I am disappointed, but this is also part of our sport. Yet I also bring positive things from this start to my season. We will certainly remember those moments. We need to learn from this edition of Paris-Nice and make plans for the next goals.”
Roglic finished three minutes and eight second behind the eventual winner Bora-Hansgrohe’s Max Schachmann.
“I don’t know if I can be happy, it’s not nice to win like that. It’s very difficult,” he added.
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