Pogačar on Pantani Giro-Tour double: ‘A dream to do what he did’
The Slovenian hopes to be the first to with both races since 1998
On Saturday, Tadej Pogačar begins what could be an incredible feat: winning both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in the same year. In an interview with Gazetta dello Sport, Pogi says he loves Italy, and is excited for the Corsa Rosa.
“I have to tell you that if it had been up to me, I would have come here five years ago,” the 25-year-old said. Pogačar is popular with the tifosi, most likely due to his incredible racing style–and wins in the country, like Strade Bianche or Il Lombardia. loves him. Likewise, Pogačar loves Italy: the races, the pizza, pasta and espresso, he said.
“A dream to win both the Giro and Tour
And he hopes to follow in the pedal strokes of one of the greatest Italian cyclists in recent history, the late Marco Pantani. “I’m too young to remember Pantani on TV, but it would be a dream to do what he did,” Pog says, of the Giro-Tour double.
In 1998, Pantani won the Giro d’Italia with a minute and a half over Pavel Tonkov and over six minutes over Giuseppe Guerini. Less than a month later, he won the Tour, beating Jan Ullrich and Bobby Julich. Although other male cyclists have won two Grand Tours in the same year–Alberto Contador and Chris Froome, none have done the Italian/French double since Pantani.
Pogačar is the clear favorite for the Giro. He leading UCI world rankings, the Slovenian has had a fantastic season thus far, clinching victory in seven out of ten races.
Perfect preparation thus far
“The preparation for the Giro has gone really well. I haven’t raced too much so far this year, just 10 days, so I’m feeling fresh and ready to take on my first Giro. It’s a race I’ve dreamed of doing for a long time and it feels like now that the time is right to go for it,” the two -time Tour de France champion said. “I raced in Italy a lot as an amateur and it has been an important country in my journey as a cyclist. For sure it is one of my favourite places to ride a bike and I also love the culture and of course the food. I hope we can make this month a special one.”
Putting 2023 behind him
His preparation didn’t go quite as well in 2023, which took a tool on him, he admits. After crashing out of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, he was later diagnosed with a broken wrist. Thus significantly disrupted his preparation for the race. It meant several weeks off from riding, he missed his usual preparation races, and definitely affected his fitness
“Last year was harder than this year both mentally and physically because of my injury, I suffered a lot,” he said. “So, this year my goals are clear and so is the plan to achieve them. It is much easier mentally, at least it seems so for now. Maybe after the Tour, I’ll give a different opinion when we see how much I’ve got left in the tank.”
The Giro begins Saturday, and you can watch it on FloBikes.com
