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Vincenzo Nibali has backed Tadej Pogačar’s choice to race the Giro d’Italia in 2024, sustaining that the comparatively gentler route of subsequent Could’s Corsa Rosa provides him the prospect to focus on a historic Giro-Tour de France double.
The late Marco Pantani was the final rider to win the Giro and Tour in the identical season, a feat he achieved in 1998. Few riders have made sensible makes an attempt on the double within the intervening interval, although Tom Dumoulin and Chris Froome completed on the rostrum at each the Giro and Tour in 2018.
The 2024 Giro sees a major discount in climbing, with the general altitude achieve throughout the three weeks dropping to 42,900m from this season’s complete of 51,300m. The climbing can also be unfold extra evenly throughout the race relatively than backloaded within the closing week.
Nibali, who received all three Grand Excursions throughout his profession, informed La Gazzetta dello Sport that the demanding begin to the Giro may show to Pogačar’s benefit as he seems to be to dose his effort to tackle two Grand Excursions in fast succession.
“The beginning of the Giro isn’t really easy, and he may construct up an excellent benefit immediately with the stage to Oropa, the grime roads at Rapolano Terme and the summit end at Prati di Tivo,” Nibali informed La Gazzetta. “Time trials aren’t an issue for him and with a robust workforce, he may handle the ultimate week.”
The revamped 2024 Giro d’Italia route was broadly considered as an try by RCS Sport to entice Pogačar to make his debut within the race, however it wasn’t clear if the two-time Tour winner could be tempted by the thought of making an attempt the double in an Olympic yr, notably after putting second behind Jonas Vingegaard in Paris for the previous two seasons.
“I’m not shocked,” Nibali mentioned. “After 4 years spent racing on the Tour, successful two editions, it’s an accurate and logical choice. Mentally, it does you good to vary aims. Including the Giro could be a step nearer to successful all three Grand Excursions. He’d solely be lacking the Vuelta. A rider like him has to strive it.”
Pogačar made the shock announcement of his Giro participation on Sunday, and the Slovenian is about to stipulate his full 2024 racing programme on Monday on the UAE Staff Emirates coaching camp in Alicante.
In 2023, Pogačar raced a full Spring programme, successful Paris-Good, the Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne, in addition to taking fourth at Milan-San Remo and third at E3 Harelbeke. A lighter early-season schedule appears inevitable this time round.
“Pogačar may simply delay his season debut by collaborating in Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo, however I believe he must sacrifice races like Paris-Good and Tirreno,” Nibali mentioned. “Perhaps he may embrace Liège within the build-up to the beginning of the Giro, however not rather more.”
Nibali by no means focused a Giro-Tour double throughout his profitable Grand Tour profession.
“I by no means managed to deal with two huge stage races so shut collectively: first the stress of the Giro after which the strain of the Tour,” Nibali mentioned, although he insisted that Pogačar would enter the Tour on a excessive if he carried the maglia rosa to Rome.
“He would arrive on the Tour with a fantastic end in hand and he wouldn’t carry the burden of being obliged to win the Tour.”
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