Slovenia’s cycling star
Giro debut, then double? Pogacar wants to achieve great things
Tadej Pogacar at the team presentation in Turin. photo
© Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via ZUMA Press/dpa
The Giro d’Italia begins on Saturday. Tadej Pogacar is the undisputed favorite. Even the competition thinks: The prodigy can only beat himself. Who will stop him?
But the often favored Slovenian doesn’t want to know anything about a certain triumph, which, according to many experts, is almost certain in advance. “It’s not respectful of the other riders. It’s not just about me or the UAE team,” said the exceptional rider before the first stage on Saturday with the finish in Turin.
Currently, however, there is hardly anyone who does not see Pogacar as the winner of the “Trofeo Senza Fine” on May 26th in Rome. Even Zak Dempster, sports director of Pogacar’s competitor Geraint Thomas, didn’t dare commit lese majeste. “He’s probably capable of winning every stage of the Giro, even the sprint stages, he could get creative,” he told the Cycling Weekly portal about Pogacar.
Success at the Giro and the Tour in one year is a rarity. After the Second World War, only seven drivers achieved this feat, including prominent names such as Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil, the “cannibal” Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault. The last time the Italian Marco Pantani won both Grand Tours in the same year was in 1998. “I’m too young to remember Pantani personally, but it would be a dream to emulate him,” Pogacar told the newspaper “La Gazzetta dello Sport”.
Expert Voigt also sees Pogacar ahead
“If he doesn’t make a mistake with his diet, if he doesn’t fall off his bike or make a huge tactical mistake, I can’t see how anyone in the Giro field could endanger him in a direct duel,” said the former professional and TV expert Jens Voigt at Eurosport. According to Voigt’s assessment, Pogacar will use the early mountain finish to Santuario di Oropa on the second stage to “immediately get things done”.
A fall or a stubborn virus may be Pogacar’s biggest concern. The child prodigy is even taking part in the Giro for the first time. This season, the all-rounder made his excellent form clear early on: Pogacar impressively dominated Strade Bianche, came third at Milan-Sanremo and won Liège-Bastogne-Liège by a comfortable margin.
The competition this year is manageable. Last year’s winner Primoz Roglic, who has been driving for the top German team Bora-hansgrohe since this year, will not be there. He wants to prepare for the Tour de France in peace. Belgian star Wout van Aert had to cancel the Giro because of his fall in the semi-classic Across Flanders at the end of March.
Schachmann is hoping for daily victories
The German drivers probably won’t be able to keep an eye on Pogacar for too long. The Tour of Italy on 21 stages with a total of 3,400 kilometers is likely to result in a maximum of stage victories. The Bocholt sprinter Phil Bauhaus may be able to achieve daily success in a Grand Tour for the first time; last year he narrowly failed in the Tour de France.
Maximilian Schachmann from Bora-hansgrohe recently recommended himself for a Giro day win after injury problems in the past. For the soon-to-be-retired Simon Geschke, the Giro is a highlight on his farewell tour. Lennard Kämna, also a Bora Hansgrohe driver, is currently recovering from his training accident in Tenerife and is not there. Team colleague Emanuel Buchmann, fourth in the Tour de France in 2019, was not nominated, which caused a lot of frustration and incomprehension for the 31-year-old.
The professionals have to climb a total of 44,650 meters in altitude, which is less than in previous years. The queen stage awaits on the 15th section between Manerba on Lake Garda and Livigno. The professionals demand 5,400 meters of altitude, including three category one climbs. Pogacar is most looking forward to this stage. He wants to be ahead of the competition there at the latest.