Ambitious Antonio Tiberi "trying to aim for top 5" on Giro d'Italia debut next month

After securing himself a podium finish in the general classification of the Tour of the Alps recently, Bahrain - Victorious' Antonio Tiberi will head towards his upcoming Giro d'Italia debut full of confidence and ambition.

“I'm very happy,” Tiberi reflects of his performances in the Alps, in conversation with Wielerflits. “It was my first competition after my first training camp at altitude. I am very proud of myself and the team. We have worked well and I feel I am ready for the Giro. It is yet another step forward. It was not easy, the Tour of the Alps is always a nice race with many climbs. That's why I really wanted to ride there, as a test with the Giro in mind.”

With Italian cycling lacking a genuine Grand Tour contender since the days of Vincenzo Nibali, could Tiberi be the one to fulfil that role at his home race next month? “I am working hard to become a good classification rider. That is my goal in the future, but of course I will do my best to succeed in the Giro," the 22-year-old analyses. "I'm trying to aim for top 5. Even though I know it won't be simple.”

“Let's say we start with the main goal of riding a classification,” adds Bahrain - Victorious sports director, Franco Pellizotti. “But we should also not forget that he is still young and this is the first time he has tried. It is difficult to predict where he will end up, but for me top 5 is possible. Even if he makes the top 10, that could be a good result. It will be a first test, and then we have to see where his areas for improvement lie, what we need to change. The Giro is an ideal race to test yourself, compared to the nervous Tour.”

“Last year he rode his second Vuelta, but Mikel Landa was our leader there. It was important for him to stay with Landa and learn a lot from his experience. We deliberately did not let Antonio go for a ranking at the time, but now he is more mentally and physically ready. He has learned a lot,” Pellizotti concludes.

“For me he is certainly potentially a top classification rider. He has always been a good time trialist, of course, but he has also made great strides uphill. His third strength is the mental one, how he approaches the races. I see this as an ideal profile to become a good classification rider. He is evolving more and more in that direction. He still has a lot to learn. This is only the first time in that role in the Giro, which is why we put him in the same room as Damiano Caruso. He was already second in the Giro and is a real expert.”