Can Thomas thwart mighty Pogacar at Giro d'Italia?

Hot sun, torrential rain, hail, snow, ice... nan Giro d'Italia is often nan astir entertaining title of nan roadworthy cycling season.

Beginning successful Turin connected Saturday, 3 weeks of title for nan pinkish jersey complete 3,400km - 44,650m of which will beryllium ascending - creates a unsocial arena which often offers much play than its much famous, and much temperate, sister title nan Tour de France.

But this twelvemonth could correspond a historical moment: measurement 1 of Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar achieving 1 of cycling's top feats - winning some nan Giro and nan Tour de France successful nan aforesaid year.

To do it you request to beryllium 1 of cycling's top riders - tick. And successful nan shape of your life - tick.

But basking favourite Pogacar's rivals, specified arsenic Britain's Geraint Thomas of Ineos Grenadiers, will not simply dishonesty down. Especially fixed Thomas missed retired truthful narrowly past year.

"No you don’t deliberation first [place] is gone," says nan 37-year-old.

"If thing it takes nan unit disconnected because everyone expects him to win. No-one expects immoderate of america to do anything, truthful there's nary unit from that broadside of things," adds nan 2018 Tour de France winner.

"But [Pogacar's presence] makes nan title different to past year, 100%. I deliberation he's 1 of nan top riders ever."

Last achieved by Italy's Marco Pantani successful 1998, doing nan eventual Grand Tour double has eluded a fewer generations of greats since.

It seemed an improbable dream this twelvemonth acknowledgment to nan beingness of Pogacar's only rival for supremacy, Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark - past year's Tour victor by much than 7 minutes pursuing Pogacar's capitulation pursuing an early play of occurrence and consequent wounded during nan outpouring classics.

However, successful April, Vingegaard was injured successful a freak crash astatine a title successful bluish Spain which near him pinch a surgery collarbone, punctured lung and a awesome woody of uncertainty whether he would beryllium fresh for nan Tour astatine nan extremity of June.

"I watched [the crash] live. It was horrific, really unspeakable to see," says Pogacar, 25.

With Vingegaard's atrocious luck, UAE-Team Emirates' Pogacar becomes favourite for nan Tour. As for nan Giro? He should triumph it astatine a canter.

Of nan 10 races aliases stages he has started this year, Pogacar has won a staggering six - and nan measurement he has done truthful has stunned nan sport.

In March, earlier nan reliable one-day classical Strade Bianche - a 215km title encompassing nan loose, chalky roads of Tuscany - he was asked astir his scheme to win.

At a clip erstwhile riders are understandably cagey astir their intentions, he simply stated: "With 80km to go, I will attack."

He did precisely that, and not 1 of nan 200-odd riders could get adjacent him.

He has done beautiful overmuch nan aforesaid successful each title successful 2024, astir precocious astatine nan sadistic one-day 'monument' classical Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

An presumption he will predominate this title is made by all, purely connected form, but this irked Pogacar earlier this race.

"I deliberation it is disrespectful to nan different riders. We're not truthful overmuch different connected nan climbs," he said.

But he yet conceded that his power of truthful galore races draws definite expectations, adding: "I don't know, possibly it's a spot my fault."

On paper, no. But Thomas is considered 1 of Pogacar's biggest rivals successful a title often denied nan champion riding talent, who are being preserved for nan Tour successful July.

Pogacar moreover names Thomas alongside France's Romain Bardet arsenic his main threat.

Thomas' shape successful caller seasons since his ascendant Tour triumph six years agone has been beardown successful patches.

He vanished connected nan Tour podium successful 2022 down nan aforementioned modern-era greats of Pogacar and victor Vingegaard, and only missed retired connected winning nan Giro past twelvemonth erstwhile he yet mislaid nan pinkish jersey connected nan penultimate shape to Slovenia's Primoz Roglic connected a "stupid mountain" clip trial, arsenic Thomas puts it.

Other contenders for pinkish this twelvemonth see Colombia's Daniel Martinez, Australia's Ben O'Connor and Spain's Juan Pedro Lopez.

Not family names, but nan wounded and misfortune associated pinch this title intends location is ever a chance.

Described by galore arsenic nan astir entertaining three-week Grand Tour, nan Giro is almost ever unpredictable. In 2020, Thomas collapsed retired erstwhile a discarded drinks vessel from different rider rolled nether his beforehand wheel, causing him to break his pelvis.

Last twelvemonth Belgian prodigy Remco Evenepoel came to condolences successful bad upwind aft a canine ran into nan peloton, causing respective riders to time off nan road.

"The main point is getting present successful bully shape, and past do what you can," says Thomas.

"Obviously it's a monolithic task because [Pogacar's] a phenomenal motorcycle rider.

"But we emergence to nan situation - they’ve sewage a beardown squad and truthful do we, and there's plentifulness of different motorcycle riders present arsenic well.

"It’s nan Giro - a batch tin spell good, and bad, arsenic we each know."

The title originates successful Turin connected 4 May and rolls into Italy's superior metropolis Rome connected 26 May.

But location will beryllium thing but rolling crossed nan sadistic upland stages, wherever Grand Tours thin to beryllium won and lost.

Standout upland sections see Stage 8's 152km battle to Prato di Tivo, earlier 3 much mid-race tests and a last lung-busting battle up to Bassano del Grappa successful nan Dolomites connected nan penultimate stage, which includes 2 very steep category-one ascents.

Pogacar's spot comes from his all-round ability, and if he has not already accelerated distant connected nan climbs, he will trial opponents' symptom thresholds during nan 2 clip trials, including Stage 7's 40.6km trial to Perugia, which ends pinch a stinging climb.

The sprinters person a small little to take from this clip astir arsenic this people was designed to pull Pogacar to participate, but location is still a picturesque dart into Rome connected nan last day, won truthful brilliantly past twelvemonth by Mark Cavendish - and 1 which could beryllium group this clip astir for chap Briton Ethan Vernon.