Saturday, May 8th, 2021
Exciting field at the Giro
A stimulating figure, a “shark” and many puzzles
The interval between two Italy tours has never been so short: the Giro 2020, which was postponed due to the pandemic, ended at the end of October, and six and a half months later the 104th edition begins on Saturday on the traditional May date. The Giro is again the first of the three big tours (besides Tour and Vuelta) in the annual calendar.
Emanuel Buchmann (Germany / Bora-hansgrohe): The Giro d’Italia has rarely been a good place for German riders – it is the only Grand Tour so far without a podium for Germany. Buchmann would like to change this, less for national reasons, but more to prove to himself that he still belongs to the elite: The Tour fourth in 2019 and Vuelta twelfth in 2018 have had an epidemic year behind them – “Emu” has to and wants to join set an example for the three-week climbing orgy.
Peter Sagan (Slovakia / Bora-hansgrohe): The eccentric ex-world champion is still the most popular professional cyclist in the field, but no longer the fastest. He celebrated only one victory in 2020 (at least at the Giro), this year there are at least two. Sagan is also driving his career: his contract expires after the season. The question is who can still afford a 31-year-old who is probably no longer getting better, but earns horrendous sums of money. Advertising factor or not.
Dylan Groenewegen (Netherlands / Jumbo-Visma): The fact that Groenewegen is viewed critically at the Giro is a merciless understatement: Since he almost caused a disaster on the Tour of Poland in August 2020 when he brutally cleared his compatriot Fabio Jakobsen in the Katowice sprint, the fast man has been a stimulus. Jakobsen barely survived, is now racing again, and Groenewegen can also celebrate his comeback at the Giro after being suspended. The big question: will he continue to pull through in the sprint – or is he behind?
Remco Evenepoel (Belgium / Deceuninck-Quick Step): Like Groenewegen, Evenepoel is celebrating its comeback after a long break, like Jakobsen, the young Belgian barely escaped with his life in August 2020 when he fell from a bridge on the Lombardy tour. The talent of the century “only” broke his hip back then and can now celebrate his debut on a Grand Tour with a delay. The 21-year-old, who has already won five major stage races as a professional, can still learn – but at some point very soon he should become the new Eddy Merckx for the Belgians.
Joao Almeida (Portugal / Deceuninck-Quick Step): Another one from the almost inexhaustible talent pool of the exceptional Belgian team. Almeida rocked the Giro in 2020 when he wore the pink jersey on his first Grand Tour over 15 stages and finished fourth overall. At 22 years of age, Almeida is still very young for a cyclist – the double top with Evenepoel could cause a big stir.
Does the “shark” still have teeth?
(Photo: REUTERS)
Vincenzo Nibali (Italy / Trek-Segafredo): Does the shark still have teeth? That asks freely about Bertolt Brecht all of cycling Italy with regard to the last Giro winner of the host nation (2016). Nibali, one of only seven cyclists who have won all three major country tours, is now 36 and just made it to the Giro after a broken hand. Not good conditions for the “Shark of Messina” to show teeth again.
Egan Bernal (Colombia / Ineos Grenadiers: It was barely two years ago that Bernal was considered to be someone who could hardly be beaten in the big tours for the foreseeable future. At 22, he won the 2019 Tour, the measure of all things. However, 2020 brought a first career break and a bitter task on the tour. And 2021? The still young South American has to prove that he can lead the Ineos team as an unrestricted captain.
Filippo Ganna (Italy / Ineos Grenadiers): In that month from September 25 to October 25, 2020, Ganna drove in a frenzy: first he became time trial world champion, then he made the Giro to the personal festival, won four stages, three of them in the time trial. It will hardly be possible to repeat it – only two time trials, this time on the first and last day. Aside from the hard days of helping in the high mountains, Ganna will want to use every opportunity that presents itself.
Romain Bardet (France / Team DSM): For eight years, the enigmatic climber chased the first French tour victory since Bernard Hinault in 1985, but most recently Bardet himself was far from the form of the podium places in 2016 (2nd) and 2017 (3rd). At the age of 30, Bardet dared to start again, changed the team (from Ag2R to the German-licensed DSM) and the object of desire: The last French Giro victory (Laurent Fignon / 1989) was an eternity ago.
Jai Hindley (Australia / Team DSM): In 2020 Hindley arrived in Milan wearing a pink jersey – but a sensational winner prevented the Australian’s sensational victory: In the last time trial, the British Tao Geoghegan Hart caught his rivals. Geoghegan Hart is out this time, but Hindley is an outsider again. He has to support the star newcomer Bardet, “but I want to do as well as last year,” says Hindley, “that would be an achievement”.
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