On his first appearance, Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia impressively secured the Giro d’Italia title, maintaining his incomparable overall lead through the final 21st stage in Rome on Sunday, and recording the largest overall victory margin since 1965.
Pogacar, a 25-year-old competitor for the UAE Team Emirates, held the coveted pink jersey from the second stage onward, registering his first of six stage wins. He safely completed the 125-km flat ceremonial run with the group on Sunday, with the stage won by Tim Merlier.
“I’m at a loss for words; this moment is simply indescribable, astonishing,” Pogacar admitted. He cherished the memories created, finding the whole Giro tournament truly captivating.
Belgium’s Merlier, from Soudal–Quick-Step, outpaced Italy’s Jonathan Milan, representing Lidl-Trek, in an impressive sprint to win his third stage. Milan managed to regain his front position for the bunch’s sprint following a crash on the Eternal City’s final lap.
Merlier remarked on the peculiarity of his victory as everyone else was already aboard the plane the day before celebrating with drinks. He also touched on the difficulty of the race, describing the initial phase as easy, gradually intensifying to full throttle, and concluded that the type of race was certainly special, a precious win for sprinters.
Jonathan Milan, a three-stage winner earned consolation by securing the points classification, ahead of Australia’s Kaden Groves from Alpecin-Deceuninck, who finished third on the last stage.
Pogacar ended with an impressive lead of nine minutes and 56 seconds ahead of Daniel Martinez from Colombia, representing Bora-Hansgrohe. Geraint Thomas of Wales, from Ineos Grenadiers, and the previous year’s second-place finisher, lagged 28 seconds behind, ranking third in the overall rankings.
Boosting his achievements, Pogacar added the Giro title to his 2020 and 2021 Tour de France victories, exhibiting his superiority, which was anticipated even before the race. His performance was such that no one could put up a competition after Pogacar showed his command from the second day.
Notable Slovenian cyclist and previous year’s champion, Primoz Roglic, was noticeably missing from the Italian race, along with esteemed competitors Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard. However, this didn’t diminish the feat achieved by Pogacar who reigned supreme in the region. His next target is to conquer the Tour de France.
Pogacar secured an authoritative position in the race during the seventh stage where he triumphed in the individual time trial, outrunning Filippo Ganna. This win boosted his lead to over 150 seconds and he continued his impressive streak by winning the subsequent stage.
Although Ganna avenged his defeat in the following time trial, Pogacar did not lag, finishing in second place and subsequently enlarging the gap with his competitors. By the time the riders reached stage 15, Pogacar’s victory was almost certain after he secured his fourth stage win, creating a three-minute distance between himself and Thomas.
Undeterred by adverse weather, Pogacar clinched victory in the next stage and was relentless during his solo run on the day before the final race. This earned him his sixth stage win, strengthening his hold on the maglia rosa and leading by a sizeable margin not witnessed in nearly six decades at the Giro.
Pogacar demonstrated his prowess not only in the race but also in the mountains classification. On the final day, he had the privilege to soak in the beauty of the Italian capital city, confident of his undeniable Giro triumph.
After crossing the finish line, he celebrated with his crew, all donned in special pink-accented jersey for the concluding day. Later, he took hold of the trophy beneath the iconic structure of Rome’s Colosseum, with the Slovenian national anthem playing for the second year in a row.
The win in the “pink jersey” was an extraordinary experience for Pogacar, saying the whole defence was incredibly good and the entire adventure was simply “crazy”.
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024