Julian Alaphilippe seemed to be heading for the victory, but put his hands in the air too early, resulting in Roglic pushing his wheel over the line earlier. The new world champion was also downgraded afterwards due to an irregular sprint.

It is the second victory in a monument for Team Jumbo-Visma this year. Wout van Aert triumphed in Milan-Sanremo at the beginning of August.

The breakaway of the day was controlled at the start of the race by, among others, Tom Leezer. The Dutchman rode his last race as a professional cyclist. Roglic was then constantly held in front by his teammates in the final. After some minor attacks on the Côte des Forges, the peloton fell apart on the decisive Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons. Tom Dumoulin kept the pace high, after which Alaphilippe attacked. Roglic, Marc Hirschi and Tadej Pogacar joined at the top. The four men stayed ahead and sprinted for the win. Roglic ultimately triumphed.

“This is unbelievable. It was so close”, Roglic said. “You should never stop believing and always keep going in the last centimetres. It’s a great feeling. I am very happy to be able to win again and I am very proud of the team. Tom was very strong on the final climb and the other riders also did a great job. It was the first time that I started here. It was on my wish list to win a monument and I succeeded.”

General director Richard Plugge saw Roglic’s victory on a screen while being present in the Giro d’Italia. “I am very happy for him and the team. This is our second monument win this year. It’s incredible what we’re doing this season. This was a great opportunity for the team. After the setback in the Tour, Primoz came back great. He can handle winning, but also losing.”

For Leezer it was his last race in the professional peloton. “It’s a strange feeling. On the one hand it is good because I suffer from physical complaints. On the other hand, it’s crazy to quit. I have always enjoyed racing.”