Tadej Pogacar Wins Giro d’Italia with Largest Victory Margin Since 1965
Tadej Pogacar has clinched the overall victory at the Giro d’Italia, finishing nearly 10 minutes ahead of Dani Martinez. This marks the biggest victory margin since 1965. The Slovenian cyclist now sets his sights on the Tour de France, which begins on June 29. Geraint Thomas secured third place, becoming only the second rider over 38 to finish on the podium at the Giro.
Pogacar’s Dominance
Pogacar dominated the Giro d’Italia, winning his sixth stage on Saturday and extending his lead over Dani Martinez to just shy of 10 minutes. Briton Geraint Thomas finished third, 10 minutes and 24 seconds behind Pogacar. Pogacar, who had been leading since his victory on stage two, expressed his amazement at the achievement.
“I am speechless, it’s hard to describe this moment, it’s amazing,” said the 25-year-old. “A lot of nice memories for sure. In a while, I will see which one was the best moment, but I think, in general, it was a really beautiful Giro.”
Thomas’ Performance
Geraint Thomas, who finished second to Primoz Roglic 12 months ago, secured another podium finish, making him only the second rider in Giro history over the age of 38 to do so. Like Pogacar, Thomas is now focused on the Tour de France. However, his goal is to support his teammates, Tom Pidcock and Carlos Rodriguez.
Looking Forward to the Tour de France
Thomas shared his thoughts on the Giro and his preparation for the Tour de France: “I’ve really enjoyed [the Giro]. It’s been a good group of guys; it’s gone really fast, but it seems a lifetime ago that we started in Torino, but it’s been great. I’m actually looking forward to [the Tour] now. It’s a big challenge, but I’ll freshen up, stay off the beer, stay on it, go to altitude camp, go to the Tour, and help the boys. We’ve got a great young team, so I’m looking forward to it.”
As Pogacar and Thomas prepare for the upcoming Tour de France, cycling fans eagerly await to see if Pogacar can become the first rider since Marco Pantani in 1998 to win both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in the same season.
