Giro d'Italia better for Tadej Pogacar's absence says Nathan van Hooydonck: "Wonder what the viewing figures were like after two weeks. There wasn’t much left to watch"

The 2024 Giro d'Italia was nothing less than a three week exhibition of Tadej Pogacar's brilliance. Winning a total of six stages over the three weeks, and the Maglia Rosa by just shy of ten minutes, Pogacar was completely dominant on his Giro debut. This year though, the Slovenian isn't returning to defend his crown and according to Nathan van Hooydonck, that might actually improve the race.

"Last year, the organisers at RCS were probably very happy to have Pogacar at the start," the former Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider recalls in conversation with Derailleur. Van Hooydonck notes however, that initial excitement from RCS might have been dampened as soon as Pogacar's dominance truly came to light once the racing began in earnest. "I do wonder what the viewing figures were like after two weeks. Because, honestly, there wasn’t much left to watch."

"Every stage Pogacar wanted to win, his team would take control of the peloton, and he’d go on to win it," continues Van Hooydonck's recollection of the 2024 Giro d'Italia. "And sometimes he’d even win a stage by accident, overtaking another rider in the final kilometre."

As mentioned, this time around, Pogacar is absent from the start list after having spent much of the 2025 season to date battling the likes of Mathieu van der Poel and Mads Pedersen in the Spring Classics, adding more success to his illustrious palmares in the process. In Pogacar's absence, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG team is led by the two-pronged attack of Juan Ayuso and Adam Yates, with Van Hooydonck hoping a more level playing field will result in some much more exciting racing over the next few weeks.

"This year, the field is wide open," concludes the Belgian. "Ayuso and Primoz Roglic are the main favourites to win the Giro, and it could turn into a really exciting battle between the two."