"I crashed four times..." - Michael Storer confirms Giro d'Italia return as he looks to finally fulfill full potential

In 2024 Michael Storer confirmed his potential as a Grand Tour rider by finishing Top10 at the Giro d'Italia, and this past season he again finished 10th. However this was under very specific circumstances as he crashed on four occasions; whilst throughout the rest of the year he showed on several occasions to be capable of aiming for much more than that.

"I wouldn't necessarily talk about frustration, but yes, I expected more," Storer said in words to Cyclism'Actu. "I crashed four times during the Giro. Even though these crashes didn't force me to abandon, they inevitably have an impact. With a smoother race, the result might have been different".

Storer won stage 7 of Paris-Nice and finished fourth in the overall classification last year; but it was his Tour of the Alps performance that really put him as a contender for the Corsa Rosa. He won the overall classification there with impressive climbing performances, but couldn't follow that up in May. At the Tour de France he aimed for stage wins but also proved unsuccessful.

However after rebuilding his form, he ended the season on a very high note, winning the Memorial Marco Pantani with a solo attack, finishing seventh at the Giro dell'Emilia and lastly joining Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel on the podium of Il Lombardia. This is another result that truly motivates the Australian.

He is set to join the likes of Jonas Vingegaard, João Almeida, Enric Mas, Mikel Landa, Felix Gall, Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari in the fight for the overall classification. Meanwhile, he will race the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico and Tour of the Alps ahead of the Corsa Rosa.

"We'll see what happens next year. Honestly, I'm not worried about who will be at the start. I can only control what I do and how I arrive at the race. The field is always strong anyway. The Giro is a race that motivates me enormously. I've always had strong ties with Italy and I feel I still have things to achieve there. That's what pushes me to do a little more in training".

In May one man he will not have to face is this year's winner Simon Yates, who announced yesterday his retirement from the sport. This came as a surprise to Storer, but a comprehensible position.

"I literally heard about Simon Yates' retirement five minutes ago. I think retirement is a very personal decision. There's no right or wrong time. If you feel it's the right time, then it is. The worst way to retire is because of bad luck, like a crash. In that sense, it's probably the best way to stop," he concluded.