After 15 levels of the Giro d’Italia, Tadej Pogačar’s lead stands at 6:41. Seventy years have handed since a maglia rosa reached the identical level within the race with an even bigger benefit, however the circumstances of Carlo Clerici’s maintain on the lead might scarcely have been extra completely different.
The 1954 Giro has gone down in lore for the fuga bidone – the mushy break – on the street to L’Aquila within the opening week that allowed Clerici to open up what turned an insurmountable lead. After stage 15, Clerici led by 14:18, and aided by Swiss teammate Hugo Koblet, the strongest man within the race, he carried pink to Milan per week later.
The ultimate week of that Giro is finest remembered for the controversy relating to the strike on the Passo del Bernina on the penultimate day. In protest on the paltry prize cash, the peloton staged a go-slow on the ultimate mountain stage, taking up 9 hours to cowl the 222km to Saint Moritz.
In 2024, against this, the overwhelming favorite for the Giro is profitable the race and travelling at supersonic pace. When Pogačar accelerated on the Passo del Foscagno on Sunday afternoon, he gained a minute on his rivals inside the first two kilometres of the assault. He tacked on one other minute or so within the 12km that remained, serving to himself to his fourth stage win of this Giro within the course of.
Monday’s version of Il Corriere della Sera described the newest exhibit in Pogačar’s non-public gallery as “probably the most astonishing feats of latest a long time in biking” and spoke of energy numbers throughout his preliminary acceleration – 920 watts for 13 seconds, per the newspaper – that might “make devotees of human physiology squint”.
Talking to reporters in a video convention throughout Monday’s relaxation day press convention in Livigno, nonetheless, Pogačar gently downplayed the concept that his show on Sunday’s stage had been among the many best of his profession, although he didn’t define the exact hierarchy of his varied feats so far.
“It’s laborious to match,” Pogačar mentioned. “I’d say it was certainly one of my high three excessive mountain performances. It wasn’t a top-three all-time efficiency of mine, however for certain it was up there.
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“I felt tremendous good on the bike. It was a brilliant lengthy stage with loads of climbing, in order that’s at all times a little bit of a unique story, however I used to be actually proud of the legs and with how the situation goes each day.”
On the mountaintop on Sunday night, Pogačar had described the particular resonance Livigno held for him, each as a coaching web site courting again to his junior days and as a result of ski resort’s prominence in his relationship along with his girlfriend Urška Žigart, who rides for Liv Jayco AlUla. A day later, Pogačar clarified that the win was important from a private standpoint, however others held better significance within the context of the game.
“There are loads of wins which have rather more weight on them,” he mentioned. “I didn’t say it was one of many greatest, however it’s among the many high. It’s laborious to classify all of the victories, particularly should you win Tour de France and Monuments – however to win the queen stage in Grand Tour is one thing actually particular.”
Tour de France
It says a lot about this Giro, in fact, that reporters have been already devoting a part of Pogačar’s relaxation day press convention to weighing up the deserves of his varied victories. That type of chatter is normally reserved for the afterglow of general victory, however maybe there’s no hurt in making a head begin when this Giro already appears like a foregone conclusion.
Over the previous week, dialog had already been shifting in direction of Pogačar’s possibilities of pulling off the Giro-Tour double, final achieved by Marco Pantani in 1998.
On the Grande Partenza in Turin, UAE Workforce Emirates had politely instructed that ideas of the Tour can be verboten till after the end in Rome, however Pogačar’s mammoth gaps over Geraint Thomas, et al, have seen that directive quietly forged apart.
Pogačar confirmed that he had no plans so as to add an additional race to his schedule between the Giro and the Tour. His considering appears sound, on condition that Alberto Contador’s choice to race – and win – the Route du Sud after touchdown the 2015 Giro in the end proved expensive in July. Jacques Anquetil and Stephen Roche each said that their finest kind got here in Italy after they accomplished the double, however Pogačar was optimistic in regards to the concept of shining in France regardless of his exertions right here.
“I by no means did the Giro and Tour, however primarily based on what folks at all times say, should you end Giro good and get well after it, you might have actually good legs within the Tour,” Pogačar mentioned. “Let’s hope for that, I hope I expertise the identical because the others after they did the double. I want to complete the Giro with excessive morale, then relax, calm down slightly bit earlier than heading to coaching camp to organize for the Tour.”
It is value noting that Pogačar has discovered his Giro expertise somewhat extra simple than that of Roche. There had, he advised reporters on Monday, been no alarms and no shock so far.
“Based mostly on the racing itself, it’s been to this point easy, not too many surprises,” he mentioned.
It stays to be seen if climate situations will in the end permit the Giro to climb the Umbrailpass on Tuesday – “I don’t know what’s occurring,” Pogačar admitted – however no configuration of stage 16 to Monte Pana is more likely to bother the pink jersey.
It stays to be seen, too, if Pogačar will chase extra stage wins and an even bigger buffer within the third week, or if he’ll accept one thing marginally much less emphatic than, say, Clerici’s last margin of 24:16 over Koblet in 1954.
Earlier than taking his go away on Monday, in the meantime, Pogačar downplayed the concept that he’s at present having fun with probably the most glowing interval of type of his profession. “It’s among the best moments of my profession,” he mentioned. “However for certain, one of the best second of my profession is victory within the Tour de France, no? Let’s see in a single week after which in just a few years how this victory settles – I imply, if it occurs…”
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