At 18 years Jarno Widar (Lotto Dstny Development Team, photo below) wins the Giro d’Italia Next Gen and applies to become a racer anti-Pogačar.
The Belgian champion, born in 2005, in his first year among the Under 23s also won the Maglia Bianca for best youngster and the two stages with an uphill finish in Pian della Mussa and Fosse (Sant’Anna d’Alfaedo).
The talent and that KOM on the Redoute
Widar’s athletic qualities emerged in a disruptive way last year at the Tour of Lunigianathe most important international stage race reserved for the Junior category.
On that occasion the Belgian won the two opening semi-stages (photo below), the points classification and became (not surprisingly) the best climber.
However, Widar’s name definitively hit the headlines this spring on the occasion of the Liège-Bastogne-Liège won by Tadej Pogačar.
The Slovenian’s decisive shot on the Redoute ended up touching the KOM achieved by Widar on 1 October 2023 by 1″. The average watts recorded by the Belgian speak for themselves.
Something more than a simple coincidence?
The anti-Pogačar Jarno Widar: world-class numbers in Fosse
Giro d’Italia Next Gen, 3rd stage, Verrès-Pian della Mussa. 134 km, 3,000 meters of altitude difference.
The finish line is for tough people (pictured below).
Widar wins the way the greats do: stage and jersey.
The Lotto Dstny Development Team also takes home the 5th stage with Steffen De Schuyteneer and Widar runs in control.
The following day, on the occasion of the 172 km Borgo Vigilio-Fosse (Sant’Anna d’Alfaedo), Widar struck and put the seal on the Corsa Rosa.
The final ascent measures 8.9km and presents a average slope of 8.8%.
Widar bats Pablo Torres (UAE Team Emirates Gen-Z) e Pau Marti (Israel-Premier Tech Academy) in 4:16:46 after tackling 3,200 meters of altitude and repelling several attacks.
The numbers are impressive. The final ascent towards Fosse is “paved” by Widar in 26:34: an average of approximately 6.3 w/Kg!
A performance similar to the one achieved by Pogačar on Monte Grappa during the 20th stage of this year’s Giro. Below our news.
Pogačar also “levels” Monte Grappa: watts, speed, VAM
True, the two climbs are not comparable. Widar was on the sixth day of competition, Pogačar on the twentieth.
It is equally true that we are talking about a 18 year old runner which in theory should have room for improvement. And the numbers already tell us that Jarno Widar could soon become a new anti-Pogačar.
We’ll see…
For more information on the Giro d’Italia Next Gen: gironextgen.it
Top photo: @LottoDstnyCyclingTeam
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