HEROES! IWG place two riders in the final classification of the #Giro after Jan Hirt (6th) & Domenico Pozzovivo (8th) sealed their places in the closing time trial! 👏👏👏
Jan Hirt has been one of the revelations of the Giro d'Italia. A well established climber, however his consistency and bravery have earned him a spot amongst the best, after a race where Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux thrived.
"It was a dream to win a stage in the Giro. I didn't only make this dream come true, I also finished sixth in the general classification. I rode the race of my life, that's for sure," Hirt confirmed after finishing the Giro d'Italia in sixth place, perhaps the most important result of his career.
I was very concentrated for this time trial. Thanks to my good performance, I finish this Giro only 26 seconds down on fourth place. Not many Czech riders achieved this before me, so I hope that I inspired some compatriots to start riding a bike," he added.
Hirt didn't initially come to the Giro as a contender for the overall classification, however with his consistency in the first two weeks, he managed to ride himself into 12th place which would already be a decent result, and bring in important points for the team. However, it was in the final week that the Czech turned his race around, and it all started with a glorious win in Aprica where he joined the breakaway, took the stage win and climbed to ninth place. The next day he joined the break once again and climbed to seventh.
With João Almeida's abandon, the 31-year old ascended to sixth place where he stayed until Verona. An incredible result for a rider who hadn't shown many signs of being a Grand Tour contender, however it all clicked into place - as has been the case with other riders from Intermarché who are riding an overwhelmingly positive season.
"Last year, I rediscovered my love for cycling within Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert and that's the key to my success. It is important to be surrounded by the right people," Hirt pointed out. "A good and nice environment facilitates the road to success. I don't dare to think about the next step, about what I'm capable of, but those 26 seconds motivate me a lot to come back for more next season," he concluded.
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