"We shouldn't forget that a podium finish in a Grand Tour is an outstanding achievement" - 2nd behind Tadej Pogacar nothing to be ashamed of says Jens Voigt ahead of Giro d'Italia

With the first Grand Tour of 2024 getting underway this weekend, despite Tadej Pogacar calling talk of his imminent Giro d'Italia domination disrespectful to the other riders, Jens Voigt insists the best the rest can hope for is a spot on the podium.

"The other teams and riders are not fools, but realists. They all know full well that they are actually only fighting for second place," the vastly experienced German previews in conversation with Eurosport ahead of Saturday's Grand Depart in Venaria Reale. "But they can't say that in public. So they politely spread optimism along the lines of 'maybe we'll attack him on stage 85...'"

Although Pogacar in pink is the likely situation by the time the race reaches Rome, should any injury, illness or incident befall the UAE Team Emirates leader, the other riders must be ready to take advantage says Voigt. "It is true that nothing is over until Rome is reached - we saw that at the last Giro with top favorite Remco Evenepoel (abandoned whilst wearing pink due to covid ed.)," Voigt explains. "And we shouldn't forget that a podium finish in a Grand Tour is an outstanding achievement - and riders like Geraint Thomas, Romain Bardet, Daniel Martinez, Ben O'Connor etc. should be very happy and proud about that. Accordingly, these guys will watch each other and neutralize each other to a certain extent. The fight for the top 5 will be very exciting, but by all accounts first place is already taken."

With Pogacar also heading to the Tour de France later this summer, Voigt feels a measuring of his efforts will be key in the second and third week. "From my point of view, he will use the early mountain finish on the second stage to get straight to the point. The same goes for the next mountain finish on stage 8 - that's the last time we'll see him in full attack mode," predicts the ex-pro turned analyst.

"There is also the first of the two individual time trials on the seventh day of the Giro: after that he should lead by around two minutes," Voigt concludes. "From then on he takes his foot off the gas, manages the situation with his team and saves energy during the second half of the Giro towards the Tour de France. That would be his ideal scenario, I think."