Cycling star Roglič taking part in popular sailing event

Ljubljana, 11 October - Slovenian cyclist Primož Roglič, this year's Vuelta a Espana winner, will participate in the international sailing regatta Barcolana on Sunday as a member of the Way of Life sailboat crew led by sailor Gašper Vinčec.

Radovljica
Cyclist Primož Roglič.
Photo: Nik Kranjec/STA
File photo

Koper
The Way of Life sailboat.
Photo: Maja Cerkovnik/STA

The race crew will also include up-and-coming Slovenian sailor Luka Zelko, Italy's double rowing world champion Alessandro Mansutti, Czech sailor Michael Maier and famous Slovenian chef Tomaž Kavčič, said the EWOL Sailing Team.

Roglič's presence is expected to further motivate the team on Slovenia's largest and fastest race sailboat, reads the EWOL press release.

The 24-metre-long sailboat is part of the EWOL project, a socio-environmental initiative, providing a platform for research, including future technology testing.

Vinčec, its captain, is an experienced sailor, having represented Slovenia in the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

Roglič, the soon-to-be-30-year-old, is expected to take part in the Tour of Lombardy, the last cycling race of this season, just a day before the regatta. He is among the main favourites win it, already snatching a couple of wins this past week. He won the Vuelta this year while finishing third in the Giro d'Italia.

The Barcolana, established in 1969 and taking place in the Gulf of Trieste, is one of the most popular regattas in the world mostly due to its fusion of sailing experts and amateurs and numerous observation points for spectators.

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© STA, 2019