ROME – Tadej Pogacar won the 107th Giro d’Italia. The news, never in question for three weeks, became official at 6.35pm, when the Belgian Tim Merlier crossed the last finish line, in Via di San Gregorio, just a few meters from the Arch of Constantine and the Colosseum, right where the 1960 Olympic marathon ended.
While the road signs were being painted pink in Komenda, Pogi became the 2nd Slovenian in the Corsa Rosa’s roll of honour, a year after Primoz Roglic’s last-gasp success. The 2023 Giro is very uncertain, won by 14″ by the first great of Slovenian cycling, the last one is anything but, never really in question except for a moment, that of Pogacar’s fall in the center of Biella, on the approach to the Oropa climb . Once the group rejoined and the first gap was made, everything became clear. There was a huge champion and there were many excellent riders fighting for the rest of the positions that mattered in the classification.
Good, even if invisible, was Daniel Felipe Martinez, never more than 2nd or 3rd after Oropa, very regular in his first race as captain after years of teamwork in the service especially of Egan Bernal. The 38 year old Geraint Thomas was also good, on the podium a year after the disappointment of Lussari: you have to go back to 1928 and Bartolomeo Aymo to find someone of his age in the top three of a Giro. Antonio Tiberi was racing on his home roads – he is from Gavignano, in the province of Rome – 5th at the end and the white jersey of the best Under 25 in the Giro: a success in his own way and a very important achievement for Italian cycling, which can show again the winner of the youth classification after 9 years. The series of foreign victories extends to 8: never so long in history.
The Giro of Giulio Pellizzari will also be remembered, a climber full of courage, the youngest in the race (20 years old), 2nd on Monte Pana, 2nd in the climbers’ ranking behind the unreachable Pogacar with the satisfaction of having passed first on the Cima Coppi (the Sella) and on the first Monte Grappa. Twice it took the best Pogacar to nullify his attacks. Italy takes home 5 stage victories. Milan, Ganna and Vendrame won, two Olympic champions and a boy full of quality, but who exploded late and never completely.
The news
Pogacar’s UAE presents itself at the start with a special shirt, white with pink sleeves, similar in every way to the historic Telekom uniform of the 90s. About forty km to celebrate Pogi, then Domenico Pozzovivo also takes center stage for a few moments, the first to cross the finish line at the start of the first of the eight laps on the circuit: the Lucanian, who will leave at the end of the season, has equaled Wladimiro Panizza, the only one so far to have started in 18 editions of the Giro. The circuit is very fast, only Costiou, Baudin, Honoré and Marcellusi try. But it flew by: Merlier beat Milan and tied the score with the Friulian: 3-3.
