Wout Poels given freedom to chase his dream Giro stage win: "The great thing about the Giro is that there are many opportunities"
Cycling
What seemed impossible, XDS Astana Team might already overtake Team Picnic PostNL on the UCI ranking during this Giro d'Italia. But the team doesn't stress too much about chasing points on Italian roads - scoring some nice results instead seems to be the goal for most, including Wout Poels. And if you win some stages, you'll also inevitably score plenty of points so...
The 37-year-old Dutchman discusses his and team's ambitions for Giro at the In de Waaier show. "A stage win in the Giro is the big goal and then it is nice that it went so well here in Turkey (Poels won a stage and the final classification, ed.). The climbing legs are there and all the training seems to have worked out well."
Poels has been given freedom from his team to focus on his own goal - completing the collection of Grand Tour stage wins - over the next three weeks. "Fortunately, I don't have to ride for the general classification and can fully focus on a stage win. The first few days I am normally never that good, so losing a lot of time in the first few stages doesn't matter."
"I haven't necessarily circled certain stages in red. The great thing about the Giro is that there are many opportunities. If the finish is uphill and difficult enough, then I have a chance. It has to go well on the day itself. I have to have good legs, be with the good riders and then I can try to finish it off."
So Poels is focusing on stage success, but shouldn't he also keep an eye on the UCI ranking battle where Astana still cannot take anything for granted? "We are really focusing on stage wins," the 37-year-old rider indicates. "You know what it is with getting points: you just have to ride results to get them."
"A stage win also yields a fair amount of points. A good classification of course yields a lot more, but it's also difficult to ride top-10 with three riders. Finishing near the top in all stages, that's what we have to look at," concludes the Dutchman.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026
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