🏳️ And for the final time, the race is underway! All roads lead to Rome, so see you in Rome guys! #GirodItalia
OPINION | Without Tadej Pogacar the Giro d'Italia 2024 would have been a disappointment
CyclingSunday, 26 May 2024 at 16:46
Gone is a Giro d'Italia 2024 that has been completely conditioned by the investment of 2 million euros that the organization decided to spend to attract Tadej Pogacar. Without that investment, the race would have been a real disappointment, having seen the weeks that Daniel Martinez, Geraint Thomas, Ben O'Connor and company have given us.
And, mind you, I am not criticizing these riders for the results obtained by each one of them individually. I criticize them for the lack of spectacle offered during the 21 days of competition, completely embarrassed by the superiority of the Slovenian. Thus, we cannot fail to praise Dani Martinez's first podium in a grand tour, G's third place at 38 years of age or O'Connor's fourth place after his horrible last Tour de France. Nor the fifth place of Antonio Tiberi who, it must be said, was the only one who tried (not too much, but that's something).
The problem is that none of them offered any kind of show. None of them tried even once, even if it would have been to prove that they were better than their earthly rivals (we already know that Tadej was in another league). They offered us nothing and I'm afraid that without him we would have had a boring Giro like the one won in 2023 by Primoz Roglic.
It's worth continuing with the top 10 by talking about the sixth place of a very irregular Thymen Arensman in the mountains who should leave INEOS as soon as possible. Regarding Einer Rubio, Movistar got what they wanted: to put him in the top 10, but the Colombian leaves without having been in a photo of the race: not a single breakaway. He didn't finish higher because he was by far the worst of the favorites in the time trials. Nor did he break away like Bardet or Zana. So, good sensations for him, but no show or interest in winning a stage.
The top 10 was closed by Jan Hirt, a combative but weak Romain Bardet and a Michael Storer who gave what he could to give valuable points to Tudor. Filippo Zana and Lorenzo Fortunato were left out, who "played" for the overall and did not opt to try to win stages as in other years. So, we have reviewed the 11 strongest riders of the Giro after Tadej who have given us ABSOLUTELY NOTHING of spectacle during the whole race and that is worthy of note.
Once again, I said: thank you Tadej Pogacar for coming to the (millionaire) call of RCS. Thank you, without you the Giro d'Italia would have been unbearable; Article written by Juan Larra of Ciclismoaldia
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- yeah, that’s a more fair assessment. “reaching mathieu’s level” doesn’t mean you’re planning to replicate his whole career. the former IS doable, potentially. it’s just the latter that likely is not.OCexile25-12-2024
- That’s not entirely true. Every person follows their own development path and peaks differently. Remco and Primoz had hardly started cycling before elite level. Jonas was pretty much under the radzr until he unexpectedly had to take over responsibility at JV. Some guys only get real good in their thirties others have peaked mid-twenties. You can’t tell in advance how and upto what level they will progress, obviously his career might not have MVDPs length but nothing says he could not end up doing a few seasons at his level.Mistermaumau25-12-2024
- well, del grosso is 21 right now. when mathieu was a year younger than that, he was already winning elite level world championships, not U23. i think del grosso will be a very good pro for years, but if he was really going to be the next van der poel someday, he’d already have to be at that level right NOW. van der poel was showing signs of true greatness when he was 15-16. THAT’S what generational talent looks like.OCexile25-12-2024
- Yeah.... gear 😅.mikolajjj24-12-2024
- It shouldn’t be about expectations in the first place should it? Besides, if you look at everyone’s calculations as a whole they don’t add up in the first place. There’ll be 2-3 riders with a 50% chance, a dozen with 10 or 20% and dozens more with a 5% so we’re expecting at least 2 if not 3 winners. Remind me again who won before her? Says it all about using data to decide on participation.Mistermaumau24-12-2024
- Ok, happy I’m not too interested in this team coz’ the account of what happened is really hard to follow.Mistermaumau24-12-2024
- The UCI is worse than USA CyclingVeganpotter24-12-2024
- It's not like they wanted her to not win😅 She had an outstanding Olympics. But there's a reason why she wasn't expected to win the road race and that's ok. Things like this happen and it's great...better than seeing expected winners win.Veganpotter24-12-2024
- Bruyneel ? The man with a lifetime ban from cycling...why do you keep giving him and his doper mate, Armstrong, a platform?DJ24-12-2024
- yeah, agree. on the subject of being a “complete rider,” i do think that’s getting more interesting. mathieu seems to have decided he wants to get much better at climbing the the high mountain passes. he appears to be looking for new challenges, which should be interesting to watch. in most cases you’d dismiss a goal like that at age 30, but it’s mvdp. he’s never going to climb with the real climbers, but if he can improve enough it could open up stage wins when the parcours isnt just purely toothy and punchy.OCexile24-12-2024