Surely Primoz Roglic could not have imagined that a slipped bale of straw would cost him victory in the Tour de France.

Although the story somehow fits the Slovenian's relationship with the biggest cycling spectacle in the world.

A story with a few bankruptcies and a lot of bad luck.

"Right now I'm glad I'm still here.

I can't see too far into the future.

I have to take it day by day,” said Roglic after his bitter mishap on the cobblestones of northern France.

The 32-year-old was actually doing well in the race.

But a TV motorcycle touched the straw bale laid out for safety at the exit of a roundabout.

The sprinter Caleb Ewan fell, Roglic made a spectacular headfirst dismount right behind the handlebars.

As if the story wasn't bizarre enough, a little later Roglic's entire team raced past with Jonas Vingegaard thrown back beforehand.

"But we just didn't see Primoz," said the visibly upset Wout van Aert.

They couldn't see him either.

Because Roglic was sitting on the side of the road in a spectator's chair and dislocated his shoulder, which was dislocated in the fall.

He has a special technique there, he stated in his typical sober manner.

The mountain finish on Friday on the Super Planche des Belles Filles will show how much that affects him.

In any case, Roglic started on Thursday.

However, his dream of winning the first tour has already burst.

Roglic lost more than two minutes to his compatriot Tadej Pogacar.

And even if the defending champion should weaken, too many other strong ranking drivers are still placed in between.

So Roglic will have to get used to being a helper for the young Dane Vingegaard from now on.

It will be another tour of suffering for Roglic.

Two years ago, the former ski jumper was able to win the tour for the first time.

In the decisive time trial on the penultimate day, Roglic was the leader, just under a minute ahead of Pogacar.

The fight against the clock up to the Planche des Belles Filles was to become Roglic's first tour disaster.

With a pale face and a special helmet that was completely crooked, he reached the finish line - almost two minutes slower than Pogacar, the overall victory was gone.

Roglic got back on his feet, winning the Tour of Spain for the second time in the fall and launching a new attack on the Tour win.

The hope for yellow lasted until the third stage.

There the Italian Sony Colbrelli drove a swerve, pushing Roglic off the road.

He landed so unhappily in a gravel bed that he tore his butt, his back and the entire left side.

Photos of the completely bandaged Roglic became a hit on social media.

Two days later, Roglic delivered a solid time trial.

But the torment grew.

On the first rest day, Roglic got out.

In autumn he won the Tour of Spain again.

He is now running out of time for the goal of winning the Tour.

While the young professionals Pogacar (23) and Vingegaard (25) can still improve, for Roglic, who is almost a decade older, things are going in the other direction.