For the men of ranking today, the most difficult part of the Giro d’Italia will begin with the first real mountain stage. The stages of Oropa, Prati di Tivo and Cusano Mutri were only appetizers and the large gaps will begin to be seen today with the arrival in Livigno where the group will first have to face the San Zeno hill, then the Mortirolo and finally the climb up the Foscagno pass to get to Livigno. Tadej Pogacar will still be the favorite, but his opponents will certainly try to do something, to gain precious seconds and minutes in the general classification. «We need to work every day and on every detail also in view of the Tour de France – said Pogacar in the press conference – I don’t think I have yet given any blows to knock out my opponents and anything can happen up until Monte Grappa”.
Yesterday in the Desenzano sul Garda time trial the Slovenian gained precious time over his opponents and it is possible that in the Livigno stage he will decide to land another blow, in order to then be able to face the last week of the race with more serenity. Pogacar now has 3’41” on Thomas, who managed to get back to second place and has 3’56” on Daniel Martinez. Stable in fifth position Antonio Tiberi, who also retains the white jersey of best youngster. «With the time trial I gained in the general classification. My intent was to gain time on my opponents because in any case we need to avoid risks on difficult days.”
The Livigno stage will close the second week of racing and will be an important test for the whole group. Colle San Zeno in its 13.9 kilometers will have gradients from 6.6 to 14%. The Mortirolo with 12.6 kilometers of climb will have 937 meters of altitude difference and a maximum gradient of 16%. To finish, the Foscagno climb and then the Livigno climb for a total of 19.3 km will also have peaks that will reach 19% at the end.
«For the Livigno stage, I’m honest, I really don’t know what I should expect. We must also be ready for the worst, but I think we can also dictate the law on racing. We have our own program and we are very compact in terms of training. We can also make mistakes and for this reason we will have to stay focused.”
What could be the Slovenian’s strategy in the race? It’s difficult to say, but considering the management of the previous stages, he will almost certainly make one of his usual attacks which will allow him to arrive alone at the finish line and further gain on his opponents. «It’s possible that I decide to attack, we’ll see. It will be a very tough stage and the ending is very difficult, especially the last two kilometers which are really complicated. It will go up a lot and in the end we have to think of the right tactic, because the altitude will also have its importance.”
The goal of the UAE Emirates champion is to win the Giro d’Italia and then also conquer the Tour de France. It won’t be an easy feat, but the Slovenian is not one to give up and has all the qualities to achieve his goal.
«We are here to win the Giro d’Italia and we are all working for this. I am proud of the team and the staff, even those who are at home. It’s a really nice environment. Today after arriving I was exhausted, but if I hadn’t been so tired, then I would have thought that something was wrong. Time trial day is a really long day. We are at the end of the second week and we are all really tired.”
