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The first Grand Tour of the 2024 cycling season will begin in northern Italy on Saturday night (AEST), and all eyes will be on the race winner from Slovenia. Tadej Pogačar.
Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) is already establishing himself as one of the best riders of his generation, if not of all time.
The 25-year-old two-time Tour de France winner has enjoyed 10 days of racing so far in 2024, winning six of them, including the one-day classics Liège-Bastogne-Liège (his sixth victory in a Monument ) and Strade Bianchi.
He also won four stages en route to overall points and promotions in the seven-day stage race, the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya.
With several of the other top grand tour contenders from recent years absent from the Giro this year, Pogačar is quickly becoming an undisputed favourite.
It’s too far to say that the Slovenian is unbeatable (he’s never won any Grand Tour on paper before the race starts in earnest), but it’s not far off.
Ineos Grenadiers sporting director Zak Dempster told Cycling Weekly that Pogačar is “probably capable of winning all the stages of the Giro”, describing him as “the elephant in the room, the young Slovenian who crushes everyone”.
The team’s race director, former pro Steve Cummings, described Pogačar as “a bit of an oddity” and “the favorite in every race he goes to”, but stressed that he is beatable, as the Welsh veteran and last year’s runner-up Geraint Thomas looking to claim his first Giro title.
“Preparation for the Giro has gone very well,” Pogačar said this week.
“I haven’t raced much so far this year, just 10 days, so I feel fresh and ready to take on my first Giro. It’s a race I’ve dreamed of for a long time and it feels like now is the time. appropriate to do so.”
Clearly it will take a monumental effort to prevent him from adding the Maglia Rosa to his growing collection of trophies.
And yet, there is an Australian who is betting on at least fighting for a podium.
Ben O’Connor aiming high
Only one Australian has ever worn the pink jersey on the final podium of the Giro d’Italia, Jai Hindley in 2022.
Ben O’Connorwho already has a fourth place finish in the 2021 Tour de France to his name, could become the fifth Australian to finish on the podium of a grand tour, but he is aiming higher than that.
As leader of the French Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team, competing in France’s premier annual sporting occasion is a prerequisite, but the 28-year-old has struggled to regain that form over the past two years with a butt injury limiting his hopes. in 2022. and the disease will disturb him in 2023.
This year, he has been backed to compete in the Giro, a race that he believes suits him and in which he arrives in good form after finishing fifth in the Tirreno-Adriatico.
“It’s a place where I’ve always believed I can perform well, it’s a race that really suits me,” he told Global Cycling News.
“Physically, I think [a podium is] there, it comes down to all the other tickets.
“You know how difficult it can be, you can look at Primož [Roglič] on the tour [de France] — He has tried it several times and it still hasn’t worked for him, while it has worked for Pogačar and Jonas. [Vingegaard].
“It can be a fickle business sometimes, big tours always expose you and your weaknesses, so if you can minimize that, that’s your ticket in.”
O’Connor’s main weakness is the time trial and, with 71.8km of time trial racing on the route this year, whether he can maintain a position at the front will depend on whether he can limit his losses there.
However, his good form in Tirreno-Adriatico and his second place overall in both the UAE Tour and the Tour of the Alps shows that O’Connor is in good form.
Australian sprinters look to shoot
O’Connor is just one of nine Australians competing in the 3,400km race this year, with the most intense action taking place in the sprints, of which there could be up to eight over the course of the 21 stages.
Caleb Ewan returns to a race in which he has five stage victories for the first time in two years with the new Jayco-AlUla team.
Sports director David McPartland said the team aims to win “at least one stage with Caleb” while supporting the new recruit. Lucas Plapp in the time trials, with the 23-year-old a possible dark horse for a spot on the overall podium.
Charging…
Ewan will have tough opposition, especially from his compatriot. Kaden Groves of Alpecin-Deceunick.
Groves is yet to win a race this season, but took a Giro victory on stage five last year, as well as recording two third-place finishes, so he will back himself to perform.
In fact, last year the 25-year-old became the fifth Australian to take the points jersey in a grand tour when he won three stages at the Vuelta a España to win the green jersey, joining Michael Matthews (Tour de France 2017). , Robbie McEwen (Tour de France 2006 and 2002), Baden Cooke (Tour de France 2003) and Cadel Evans (Giro d’Italia 2010).
The speed competition will be much fiercer in Italy than in last year’s Vuelta.
Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step), with seven wins in 2024, will be the fastest man to beat, alongside the local favorite and last year’s points jersey winner. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek).
Olav Kooij (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) is an intriguing grand tour debutant given his recent successes, while also entertaining the veteran. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty) and out of shape Danish sprinter Fabio Jakobsen (dsm–firmenich PostNL) hope to regain some of their previous speed to challenge the pointed end.
New south Wales Michael Storer He will also be looking for stage wins, although the dominance of the 2021 Vuelta Rey de la Montaña will be the steep ramps of Italy’s most famous climbs, such as Mortirolo, Stelvio and Monte Grappa.
How can I watch the Giro d’Italia and when does it start?
The Giro begins on Saturday night, AEDT, with a 140km route from Venaria Reale to Turin.
The race meanders down the west coast of Italy to Naples and Pompeii, before returning to the Alps and some of the sport’s most famous climbs.
The finale is a 125 kilometer processional stage around Rome on May 25.
You can watch the full race on SBS or SBS On Demand.
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