Triumph can no longer be taken
King Pogacar wins Giro with incredible dominance
25.05.2024, 18:05
Who can stop the cycling king? Tadej Pogacar dominates the Giro d’Italia, nobody can keep up with the Slovenian. He wins his sixth stage – and with that he can no longer be denied the overall victory. On Sunday he will have his triumphant ride, probably with the best time since 1965.
After another demonstration of power, the untouchable Tadej Pogacar is on the verge of overall victory at the Giro d’Italia. The Slovenian cycling star from Team UAE Emirates won the last mountain stage on Saturday after a 34 km solo and celebrated his sixth daily victory in this year’s Tour of Italy. Before the finale on Sunday in Rome, Pogacar extended his lead to 9:57 minutes.
The two-time Tour winner launched the decisive attack on the second climb to Monte Grappa, which had already been conquered once before, and, as so often, no other rider in the general classification could follow. A little later, Pogacar also caught up with the only escapee, Giulio Pellizzari. On the way to the finish, Pogacar continued to extend his lead.
If Pogacar brings his lead to the finish, it would be the most significant since 1965. Back then, the Italian Vittorio Adorni, who died in 2022, won with a time of 11:26 minutes ahead of the competition.
Pogacar “had good legs”
After 184 kilometers with almost 4200 meters of elevation and the two highest category climbs to Monte Grappa, the Frenchman Valentin Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) secured second place, 2:07 minutes behind Pogacar. Daniel Felipe Martinez from Colombia from the German racing team Bora-hansgrohe came in third, defending his second place in the overall ranking.
“It was a perfect job from the whole team. I had good legs. I’m very happy,” said Pogacar, who admitted that he would be happy to “finally go home.”
In his first Giro participation, Pogacar will also win the mountain classification if he reaches the finish line in Rome. The Maglia Rosa will also most likely not be in danger. The final 125 km with start and finish in the Eternal City are largely flat, and the sprinters will probably fight it out for victory among themselves.