"Will this be my last Giro? It could be" - Domenico Pozzovivo ready for 17th attempt to win the Maglia Rosa

Now 40 years old, Domenico Pozzovivo first rode the Giro d'Italia all the way back in 2005. As he prepares for his 17th attempt to win the famed Maglia Rosa, the Italian questions whether this could be his final chance.

"I'm not competing to win the Giro. The goal is to go for a top 10. That would be a great result for me, considering my preparation and age," Pozzovivo recently said in an interview with Wielerflits. "The Giro is very important to me, especially because I haven't ridden that many races this year. That's why the Tour of the Alps was an important step towards the Giro, even if I didn't have my best days there."

Read also

"I'll arrive at the Giro fresh and ready for war" - Joao Almeida all set to make Maglia Rosa push

Riding for Israel - Premier Tech these days, Pozzovivo will be hoping to use all his vast experience to his advantage and secure himself a positive result at his home Grand Tour. "I try to enjoy every moment on the bike. I still enjoy my training sessions and in competitions, I can show that I am still in good shape," he says. "Will this be my last Giro? It could be, but I will only make a decision about that after the Giro."

After a nervous start to the year in which he found himself without a contract, just being able to ride the race could be viewed as a positive in and of itself. "That period was difficult," Pozzovivo says of his time spent unemployed. "Especially when the season had already started. I had to stay motivated then, but in the end, I joined a good team in Israel-Premier Tech. I'm very happy that I can race after this difficult period."

Read also

Final startlist Giro d'Italia with Evenepoel, Roglic, Ganna, Cavendish, Almeida, Carthy, Vlasov and Thomas