Tadej Pogacar conquered his first Giro d’Italia in Rome at breakneck speed

After overcoming more than 3,000 kilometers of racing and 40,000 meters of altitude difference from Grande Partenza three weeks ago at Piedmontthe survivors of Giro d’Italia 2024 come now Rome to compete for the ultimate honors and be accepted as heroes. The eternal city has dressed up in its best clothes to welcome in style the great champion of this edition of Pink Corsain Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, that in his debut Giro surpassed all records and dominated the race with an iron hand.

Pogacar’s leadership would have been obvious, but few would have thought that the reign of ‘Handsome’ In this Giro d’Italia it will be very strong. And the runner Klanec He won six stages, five of them in pink, he wore the pink jersey in 20 of 21 stages, he was also the best in the mountains and he gave the feeling that if he thought about it. he would have won a few more stages and achieved more amazing records. In fact, himself Joxean Fernández ‘Matxin’, manager of the UAE Team Emirates, he even admitted that he braked.

And, in the Giro where he recorded the highest average speed, 41.8 km/h, Pogacar achieved the biggest difference with respect to the second classified of the century, 9’56”, after 9’18” of Basso about Gutierrez in 2006; and became the fourth cyclist in the last 30 years to win the Giro d’Italia in his debut year after Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana and Egan Bernal.

Such was Pogacar’s dominance of the race that the Slovenian wanted to lead the final stage until the last three kilometers, probably taking more risks than necessary. A final stage that ended this Sunday in Rome for the sixth time and the second time in a row, consisting of 125 kilometers and finished on a very fast 76 kilometer circuit where eight laps had to be completed.

The ending, as it could not be otherwise, is dizzying, with a Jonatha nMilan who almost accomplished a feat. He had to change his bike with 9 kilometers to go and was strong enough to compete in the sprint after a textbook effort by his teammates, Lidl-Trek, although in the end, probably exhausted, he had to surrender the Belgian victory Tim Merlier, he achieved third in this Giro.

Merlier will happen Cavendish in Rome and Pogacar’s note to his countrymen Roglic. Now, celebration, disconnection and back to training to try to achieve success in T as wellwe are from Francedouble what no one has achieved since he achieved it Marco Pantani in 1998.