Tadej Pogačar is about to make his debut as reigning world champion within the Giro dell’Emilia this weekend on Saturday, October 5.
The UAE Team Emirates racer’s first look within the rainbow jersey he took with a spectacular breakaway in Zurich on Sunday shall be made within the powerful hilly one-day Classic, which finishes, as ever, with a number of ascents of the San Luca climb in Bologna.
Twice second within the Giro dell’Emilia, in 2022 and 2023, the Slovenian star will probably be in search of a debut victory in his third participation within the hilly 1.HC Italian Classic, which kinds a part of his build-up to a title defence at Il Lombardia per week later.
Former world champion Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) and Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), a triple winner and defending champion of the Giro dell’Emilia, are additionally anticipated to kind a part of a star-studded area for this yr’s 215km race on Saturday, October 5.
Pogačar has already been seen out coaching following his completion of the Triple Crown on Sunday, alongside his companion and fellow professional racer Urška Žigart (Liv-AIUIa-Jayco) and Formula 1 pilot Carlos Sainz. In a brief, good-humoured video posted to Instagram, Sainz says the experience is ‘good for a hangover’ and Pogačar – sporting UAE Team Emirates group package, not the rainbow jersey – laughingly agrees.
Pogačar will face a a lot tougher experience on Saturday in Italy, with this yr’s 107th version of the Giro dell’Emilia as ruggedly hilly as ever, beginning with a grindingly lengthy 13km ascent of the Zocca climb within the opening half.
However, if the historical past of one in all Italy’s most venerable Classics is something to go by, the autumn Classic will as soon as once more be determined within the 5 ascents and summit end of the lungburstingly steep San Luca (2.1 km at 9%), the primary function of an ultra-demanding 9.2km ending circuit.
San Luca was final seen in race motion within the 2024 Tour de France when it shaped a part of the finale of stage 2 – and the place prime contenders Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Evenepoel all made it right into a late break behind stage winner Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), briefly pushing the Slovenian into the general lead.
This time spherical, as soon as once more, Pogačar’s efficiency shall be one of the crucial keenly watched points of the racing on the San Luca – however in contrast to in July, with the rainbow jersey already conquered and on his again for an entire yr to come back.
