Having won seven Grand Tour podiums on the Dutch Jumbo-Visma team over the past eight years, Slovenian pro cyclist Primož Roglič has signed for the German Bora-Hansgrohe team.

The transfer was announced by Ralph Denk, the head of the Bora-Hansgrohe team, at a press conference on 6 October, declaring the 33-year-old was joining the team for the coming seasons.

The Slovenian has signed more than a one-year contract, but Denk did not reveal any details about its duration or worth.

He assessed that in Roglič, the team has acquired one of the largest contenders for the win in the main race of the season, the Tour de France. Roglič finished the Tour second in 2020.

"My wish is for that team to win the Tour," added Denk, who had recruited Roglič to Bora-Hansgrohe eight years ago, when he signed for Jumbo-Visma.

It was in the Dutch team that the Slovenian became one of the most successful riders in recent years, accumulating a total of 80 wins in professional road races.

"I am looking forward to this step, even though a team change is kind of like new territory for me. The good memories of when we met years ago made the talks easy. But the decisive factor was that the team is really motivated to work with me, and that we hold the same ideas," Roglič was quoted as saying on the website of his new team.

Roglič's move to a new team has become more or less inevitable after Dane Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma won his second consecutive Tour de France in July.

Winning the Giro d'Italia this year, Roglič said his main career goal was to win the Tour, which would put him in the rare company of seven riders who have won all three Grand Tours.

It also became clear that it would be difficult for him to achieve this goal with Jumbo-Visma after this year's Vuelta a Espana where he was chasing his fourth overall victory, but had to concede in the end to his US teammate Sepp Kuss, to finish third overall, behind teammate Vingegaard.

Denk said he got the impression from Roglič's statements after the race that he was not satisfied with the outcome and it was then he approached him. It was a quick agreement, and the last details were sorted out yesterday.

Regarding the recruitment of Roglič eight years ago, he said that the figure of the offer that he had made at the time was more than ten times lower than the current contract.

According to unofficial information from the Global Cycling Network outlet, Roglič has signed a two-year contract. The cyclingnews.com site says the move comes with a rumoured buyout fee paid to the Dutch team of €3 million, while Roglič's contract is set to pay him over €5 million per season.

Denk said the expectation was that Roglič would elevate the team, labelling him as an exceptional personality and professional who can motivate others.