Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) is the overwhelming favorite for the Giro d’Italia, which will get underway in Turin on May 4, however he isn’t with out rivals on the race.
The Slovenian is, by a long way, the headline act at this Giro, with 2023 champion Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) opting to not defend his title, whereas Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) additionally determined towards returning to settle some unfinished enterprise with the corsa rosa.
Planned debutant Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) has been dominated out by damage, although the Belgian had already insisted that he had no GC aspirations in Italy, and so his absence doesn’t alter Pogačar’s checklist of rivals for the maglia rosa.
Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), second a 12 months in the past, has repeatedly proven his aptitude in three-week racing, whereas one other veteran, Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich-PostNL), showcased his type at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Along with that skilled pair, there’s additionally a gaggle of recent faces making an attempt to push their approach into the reckoning on the first males’s Grand Tour of the season.
Cyclingnews takes a more in-depth have a look at the riders who look set to play a number one function on the 2024 Giro d’Italia because it winds its approach from Turin to Rome.
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)
Tadej Pogačar has prevented miscues and sickness this season and is about to be in high type for his quest of successful the general at his first Giro d’Italia, an entree earlier than the Tour de France.
Across the 5 Grand Tours at which he has competed to date, Pogačar has two Tour de France victories (2020, 2021) and three extra podiums and in addition completed third on his debut on the 2019 Vuelta a España.
There are 3,400 kilometres with six mountain high finishes and two time trials throughout the 21 days of racing at this 12 months’s Giro, with rather less climbing than previous years, which is what the Slovenian preferred concerning the route.
There’s by no means any assure that it is going to be a parade, with the chaos of the Giro in a position to unravel the perfect laid plans. Still he has dominated three of the 4 occasions the place he has raced this season, together with Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Volta a Catalunya, and this 21-day mission is true up his alley.
Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers)
Geraint Thomas’ runner-up efficiency in final 12 months’s Giro d’Italia will make him an apparent contender for one more podium end on this version. He’s taken an identical strategy to the primary Grand Tour of the season, having competed throughout three shorter stage races, this 12 months swapping the Tour Down Under for a begin on the Volta ao Algarve and once more racing at Volta a Catalunya and Tour of the Alps.
Last 12 months Thomas misplaced the Giro d’Italia lead within the ultimate Monte Lussari time trial towards Primož Roglič, the place he completed second, however with a brand new 12 months comes a brand new route and alternative.
He has stood on the rostrum in 4 Grand Tours, successful the Tour de France in 2018, coming second in 2019 and third in 2022, earlier than his second place on the Giro. He is persistently robust within the mountains and has lately frolicked at Monte Grappa for a recon of stage 20. The two time trials on supply this 12 months come on stage 7, the place the uphill into Perugia isn’t as steep as final 12 months’s Monte Lussari, and on stage 14, the place the flat course might play into Ineos-Grenadiers’ technique extra favourably.
The workforce even have a second card to play in Thymen Arensman, who completed sixth general in final 12 months’s race and who had promising outcomes this spring with a fifth at Volta ao Algarve and sixth at Tirreno-Adriatico.
Dani Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe)
Dani Martínez will lead Bora-Hansgrohe at this 12 months’s Giro d’Italia, together with his new teammate Roglič opting to not defend the title he gained with Jumbo-Visma as he’ll as a substitute pursue his first Tour win, which might give him a profession Grand Tour sweep. At 27, Martínez appears to set a normal together with his new workforce, having raced the final six seasons with EF Education and Ineos Grenadiers.
Of the eight Grand Tours wherein he has competed, he has ridden the Giro twice, final ending fifth on GC in 2021 with Ineos. All six of his stage high 10s got here on programs with climbing to the end, together with Monte Zoncolan on the Giro in 2021. He put in a strong high 15 end in that 12 months’s closing time trial to leap previous João Almeida and make the general high 5.
The Colombian climber will put his abilities on full show on the Giro with its six mountain high finishes, together with the Passo Brocon on stage 17 and Sappada on stage 19.
This 12 months he gained two levels and the mountains classification on the Volta ao Algarve, and was the one rider to complete inside a minute of Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep within the general, securing second place. He raced all however the ultimate day of Tirreno-Adriatico as a consequence of a knee subject, however is absolutely rested for his return to the Giro.
Romain Bardet (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL)
Romain Bardet will head into this Giro d’Italia bouyed from a current second place at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. While the one-day Monument and the Grand Tour are vastly totally different, there’s nearly no substitute for a lift of morale and confidence initially of a three-week-long race as demanding because the Giro.
The Frenchman is among the peloton’s strongest climbers and has over a decade of expertise in Grand Tour racing. He understands carry his type throughout three weeks and will likely be well-suited to the six mountain-top finishes.
Of the 15 Grand Tours that Bardet has raced, he has completed within the high 10 on seven events, twice on the rostrum on the Tour de France. His highest place within the Giro d’Italia was seventh within the 2021 version, the place he completed second at Cortina d’Ampezzo and, though he in the end deserted in 2022 earlier than leaving he completed second at Blockhaus.
Bardet says he hasn’t felt this robust in years, and whereas his rivals additionally look stronger than ever, he believes he can compete for a podium spot.
Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike)
The much-heralded U23 rider, Cian Uijtdebroeks, makes his Giro debut carrying the yellow-and-black colors of Visma-Lease a Bike. Given his teammate Van Aert should wait one other 12 months to make a primary begin on the Corsa Rosa, Uijtdebroeks jumps into his debut in full power because the workforce’s GC chief.
Last 12 months delivered the primary Grand Tour begin of his profession, with the then Bora-Hansgrohe rider touchdown eighth general on the Vuelta a España with 4 stage high 10s. The younger Belgian completed sixth general on the Tour de Romandie and seventh general on the Tour de Suisse in his construct to the Vuelta, making a reputation for himself and spurring curiosity for his providers in 2024.
This season, simply days after his twenty first birthday, Uijtdebroeks completed fifth at O Gran Camiño whereas serving to Jonas Vingegaard to the general title after which took seventh at Tirreno-Adriatico. He suffered from a abdomen ailment at Volta a Catalunya and couldn’t proceed on the ultimate day to Barcelona, the place he was driving within the high 20.
That means it has been greater than a month since we now have seen Uijtdebroeks race so there’s a lot to be revealed as he tackles his first Grand Tour with Visma-Lease a Bike.
Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)
Ben O’Connor has shifted his focus away from the Tour de France and onto the Giro d’Italia this 12 months.
Racing for the French workforce Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale since 2021, the Australian has understandably had clear targets for the workforce’s dwelling Grand Tour throughout the earlier three seasons, and he has had success with a fourth general and a stage win into Tignes.
O’Connor hasn’t raced on the Giro since 2020, the place he took his first-ever Grand Tour victory atop Madonna di Campiglio whereas driving for NTT. In 2024, although, the workforce granted his request to give attention to the Italian Grand Tour, an settlement he was grateful for as a result of he says a schedule refresh may very well be simply what he must carry out at his finest.
The Australian believes this 12 months’s route will swimsuit him higher than any earlier version, with mountain finishes at Prati di Tivo, Cusano Mutri Livigno, Monte Pana, Passo Brocon and Sappada, together with a time trial that finishes in Perugia.
A robust begin to the season places O’Connor in place as a principal podium contender with second general on the UAE Tour, fifth at Tirreno-Adriatico and second at Tour of the Alps.
Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech)
Michael Woods will lead Israel-Premier Tech of their bid for a high GC place at this Giro d’Italia. Woods is accustomed to the nation’s high race, having made the soar to European racing with Amore & Vita a decade in the past.
Since then, his pathway into the WorldTour has taken him to 10 Grand Tours with a complete of seven podiums on particular person levels in all three, together with two stage wins on the Vuelta a España and one other on the Tour de France.
His principal focus has been on the French and Spanish Grand Tours and Woods hasn’t competed on the Giro since 2018, the place he completed runner-up within the stage to Caltagirone.
Finishing on the general podium may be a giant ask for the Canadian, however this 12 months’s version of the Giro d’Italia is poised to be a wide-open race with just one outright favorite – Tadej Pogačar. Given the unpredictable nature of the Giro d’Italia, the place something can occur, it could not be out of the realm of chance to see just a few new faces on the rostrum this 12 months. Perhaps Woods may very well be one in all them.
Antonio Tiberi and Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious)
Italy is on the lookout for a luminary to shine throughout the 21-day contest and with Bahrain Victorious they’ve two – 22-year-old Antonio Tiberi and 36-year-old Damiano Caruso.
Tiberi simply completed third general on the Tour of the Alps with a sweep of high 10s throughout the 5 days of racing. The teenager additionally impressed at Volta a Catalunya with three high 10s to complete eighth general. While he started the race in help of Wout Poels, he would take over the reins on stage 3 with a mountaintop end at Port Aine within the Pyrenees, Tiberi ending third behind stage winner Pogačar.
Bahrain Victorious may have choices with veterans Poels and Italian Caruso, who completed fourth general finally 12 months’s Giro. Caruso is racing on the Tour de Romandie for a fourth consecutive season this week. It is a race the place he has completed within the high 10 3 times, final 12 months taking third general, and may assist him hit the Giro prepared to begin preventing for a high spot from the very early levels.
Eddie Dunbar (Jayco AlUla)
In simply two appearances on the Giro d’Italia, Eddie Dunbar has demonstrated a capability to flourish as a GC rider and he appears able to burst onto the rostrum. Last 12 months the Irishman completed seventh general, constructing momentum because the weeks progressed with 5 high 10s, all mountain finishes together with a fourth place atop Monte Bondone within the third week.
In his first Giro in 2019, Dunbar rode in help of ninth-placed Pavel Sivakov at Ineos, and within the course of completed twenty second general himself because of a podium on a hilly stage 12.
The Irishman’s 2024 season didn’t actually attain full steam till April at Itzulia Basque Country, as he fractured his hand on a stage 1 crash at UAE Tour and needed to take a month off. But then once more, in 2023 earlier than his breakout 21 days on the Giro he additionally broke his hand in his early-season crash, that point at Volta a Valenciana.
The 27-year-old will even have Australian highway race and time trial champion Luke Plapp as a co-leader of the squad. The 23-year-old rider completed sixth general at Paris-Nice, exhibiting he has good type, and on high of that he’s a greater time trialist than Dunbar so Jayco AlUla have choices. Both Dunbar and Plapp are presently driving collectively at Tour de Romandie in a ultimate push towards a serious goal of the 12 months, high performances on the Giro which must also assist put together the brand new teammates for the rigours of joint management over the 21 days in Italy.
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