"It's a bit of the Giro's fault that they made the third week so tough" - Ilan van Wilder gives his view on lack of Giro d'Italia GC excitement
Cycling
Following the departure of Remco Evenepoel from the Giro d'Italia, Soudal - Quick-Step were left somewhat rudderless. Ilan van Wilder has impressed in recent days however, keeping contact with the general classification favourites albeit without the Maglia Rosa battle fully commencing yet.
"There was no real racing on that climb. That makes sense. We were 30 kilometres from the finish," Van Wilder reveals following the conclusion of the 15th stage, where the 23-year-old Belgian finished alongside the likes of Geraint Thomas, Primoz Roglic and Joao Almeida and he now sits 15th in the GC with an outside chance of finishing inside the top 10.
Despite over two weeks of racing having taken place, the favourites for the Maglia Rosa are yet to really ignite the race. According to Van Wilder, the fault for this lies with the organisers of the Giro d'Italia and their stacking of the third week with such a heavily mountainous route.
"It's a bit of the Giro's fault that they made the third week so tough. That gives us a passive race. I understand that you can't throw your powers yet," he explains. "I think we will only see a real spectacle next week. Because in that week you can lose everything every day. I am especially happy that I was able to join the group of favourites. We still had a small gap. The legs felt good all day."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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When you turn on the TV but there's no cycling today. Photo: @GettySport
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