At his first attempt, Slovenian Tadej Pogacar won the Tour of Italy on Sunday after the 21st and final stage in Rome won by Belgian Tim Merlier in a sprint.
Tadej Pogacar won the Tour of Italy at his first attempt on Sunday after the 21st and final stage in Rome won by Belgian Tim Merlier in a sprint. The Slovenian from the UAE team flew through the event with six stage victories – as many as Eddy Merckx in 1973 – and a gap not seen in 59 years over the second in the general classification, the Colombian Daniel Martinez, whom he is ahead of. of 9 min 56 sec.
Complete the Giro-Tour de France double
Pogacar can now devote himself to the second part of his great challenge: winning the Giro and the Tour de France in the same year, which has not been achieved since Marco Pantani in 1998. On the other hand, he has ruled out participating in the Tour de France. Spain, preferring to target the World Championships in Zurich at the end of September, another big objective.
This triumph at the Giro adds a new piece to his collection of trophies which is growing day by day: at only 25 years old, “Pogi” already has 77 successes including two Tours de France, six Monuments and a string of other classics and stage races. More than ever, he is following in the footsteps of Merckx, the greatest runner of all time with whom he shares the same gluttonous appetite.
Sunday, dressed all in pink, he celebrated his victory during a stage parade in the style of that of the Champs Elysées on the Tour de France, where we uncork the prosecco and take photos, before the sprinters explain themselves in the streets of the Eternal City. Merlier won his third stage victory in this Giro, as much as the Italian Jonathan Milan, second in Rome despite a puncture and a long repair nine kilometers from the finish.