BEYOND THE PELOTON: GIRO d'ITALIA PREVIEW
Can anyone overcome Tadej Pogačar's greatness to win the Giro? Listen and subscribe to the latest episode of the Beyond the Peloton podcast.
On today’s Beyond the Peloton podcast,
, Andrew Vontz, and I discuss the upcoming Giro d’Italia, which begins on Saturday.We discuss whether anyone can overcome the dominance of Tadej Pogačar, who seems destined to win his first Giro unless the road or, more surprisingly, another rider gets in the way. With his top competitors recovering from serious injury, the Giro could prove to be incredibly exciting (if a competitor emerges from the field) or anti-climatic.
We also debated the pecking order of the Grand Tours. The Tour de France clearly stands apart and above both the Giro and the Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain). But in recent years the Vuelta, which takes place in mid- to late-August, has been a more exciting race than the Giro. As others have said, it’s become a “last chance saloon” for the world’s best to salvage there season.
While the Giro starts and ends with a few mountain stages, the middle includes two time trials, some flat stages, and stages with early climbs and massive descents. As Spencer put it, the race could become “breakaway city” with the early climbs offering opportunities for early escapes by unheralded riders.
Five Americans, including Magnus Sheffield, Will Barta, Luke Lamperti, Kevin Vermaerke, and Larry Warbasse. Vermaerke and Sheffield might be best positioned to grab a stage win.
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