TOUR OF ITALY | 05/23/2024 | 08:18
by Francesca Monzone
Tadej Pogacar didn’t win, but yesterday he proved that he is the absolute master of this Giro d’Italia. When Martinez attacked, the Slovenian had no doubts and decided to increase his pace and climb with his pace, who once again proved to be superior to the others, thus leaving all the rest of the men in the rankings behind him.
«Upon arrival I greeted some Slovenian fans, I know many of them, because ours is a small country and therefore many of us know each other. On Tuesday I was more tired at the end of the stage, while yesterday I felt I was fine. I like cycling and I’m happy to keep a high level when racing. If I didn’t feel this way then I would think about retiring, but I hope to have good legs for a few more years».
The victory went to the young German Steinhauser, who in perfect solitude reached the finish line at Passo del Brocon. «I am very happy for Steinhauser’s victory, had been on the run since the beginning of the day. He was caught and then relaunched. For the moment I am satisfied with the results obtained.”
According to Pogachar the ideal day to win again is Saturday in Bassano del Grappa. Today the stage is dedicated to sprinters, while Friday could be the day for a breakaway. Saturday, however, could be an opportunity for the pink jersey to win in front of its fans, because many will be arriving from nearby Slovenia.
«We will have to see what happens in the next few days. Tomorrow there will be a stage for sprinters, then a stage for a long distance breakaway and finally the Monte Grappa stage on Saturday, which could be my chance to win again. It could be an iconic day since we are close to my homeland.”
The leader of the general classification reiterated that he will not race the Vuelta de España and that his objectives will be the Tour de France and the World Championships. «After the Giro, as I have already said, I will certainly aim for the Tour de France, but not the Vuelta, I won’t do it this year. My first goal however is to arrive in Rome in the pink jersey. Today there could be a difficult stage, there could be some crashes. First I want to think about Rome, then the Tour and finally the World Championship.”
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