Antonio Tiberi departs Criterium du Dauphine after just two stages citing Giro d'Italia fatigue

They say that you come out of a Grand Tour in one of two ways. Either in the form of your life or with absolutely nothing left in your legs. Sadly for Antonio Tiberi post-Giro d'Italia, it seems to be the latter.

The Italian finished 5th overall at the 2024 Giro d'Italia, taking home the White Jersey for Best Young Rider in the process. Just two stages into the Criterium du Dauphine however, Tiberi has now been sadly forced into an abandonment and will not be at the start line later today for stage 3 with his teammates.

"After achieving his primary objectives of securing the white jersey and finishing in the top five in his home Grand Tour, the Giro, he aimed to build on his performance with a strong showing at the Criterium du Dauphine," reads an official announcement of Tiberi's withdrawal on the Bahrain - Victorious social media pages. "However, he found himself unable to keep up with the main contenders due to fatigue following the Giro. Consequently, Antonio and the team have decided to shift his focus to other targets later in the season after enjoying some deserved rest and recuperation."

Tiberi was noticeably one of the first riders to get dropped on the final slopes of stage 2, despite lesser renowned climbers such as the likes of Mads Pedersen being able to sit comfortably at the front when Tiberi dropped out.

Bahrain - Victorious meanwhile, will likely remain optimistic about a positive Criterium du Dauphine result as they still boast the general classification duo of Santiago Buitrago and Jack Haig, with the latter currently sat in the top 10 of the overall standings after the first two stages of racing. With another testy uphill final on stage 3, both Buitrago and Haig will be hoping to be in the mix for victory.