No-one's safe at Monte Grappa, Alberto Contador warns: "It's one of the hardest I've ever climbed in my life, you can lose everything you've fought for"
Cycling
Alberto Contador is clear that the Monte Grappa can do a lot of damage in the penultimate stage of the Giro d'Italia 2024 and that whoever has a bad day can lose places in the overall and everything they had fought for so far. In addition, he is clear that Tadej Pogacar is the favorite to win.
The Spaniard commented in Eurosport that it is one of the hardest ascents he has climbed during his career: "It is one of the Top 10 hardest ascents I have climbed in my life, in this climb you can lose everything you have fought for in the last 3 weeks". This comes as a stark reminder that the overall classification at the Corsa Rosa is far from decided, with three weeks of racing behind.
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This is Alberto Contador's detailed analysis of stage 20 of the Giro d'Italia 2024 in which he makes it clear that, due to the hardness of the two climbs of Monte Grappa, he thinks that Pogacar is the big favorite to win his sixth victory in the corsa rosa:
"The twentieth stage arrives, the last chance for the riders who want to improve the general classification, we are talking about a stage with 184 kilometers, but a stage in which we climb a very hard pass, the Monte Grappa, and on top of that on 2 occasions. The first time it will start to be climbed at the 88th kilometer, but be careful because it is crowned 78 kilometers from the finish line."
"What happens, we are talking about a climb of 18 kilometers at 8.1% average gradient and has ramps of 15%. We are talking that the rider who has a bad day can lose everything he has been fighting for in the last three weeks. Downhill, back up Monte Grappa and 30 kilometers to the finish line. A lot of riders are going to try in the breakaway, but I personally believe that Tadej Pogacar is hungry for victory."
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - He lives in Monaco
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026
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El análisis de @albertocontador de la etapa 20 del #GirodItalia "El corredor que tenga un mal día puede perder todo" No te la pierdas en Eurosport 1️⃣ y en MAX
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