Mauro Vegni, director of the Giro d’Italia, dares Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) to go for the Giro-Tour double.
Pogacar has won the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021, but said that he will aim for the Giro d’Italia in the future.
Chris Froome is the last rider to make an attempt to win the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in the same season. He won the Giro in 2018, but finished third in the Tour de France.
“I do not think winning the Tour de France three or four times makes a big difference to a rider’s career. When you win it once, you have proven to be a great rider and there is not much else to prove,” Vegni said.
“These days, riders are much more ready to win big races at a young age than before, even when they are only 23.
“It’s a shame no one seems to want to try to win the Giro-Tour double. The last one was Pantani, so maybe it’s time for a rider to add their name to that roll of honor. ”
Ineos Grenadiers has won three of the last four editions of Giro d’Italia with Froome, Tao Geoghegan Hart (2020) and Egan Bernal (2021), with Carapaz signed by the British team after winning the 2019 edition with Movistar.
Joao Almeida is expected to lead the UAE Team Emirates at the Giro d’Italia despite the limited number of time trial kilometers.
Gazzetta dello Sport suggests Simon Yates, David Gaudu, Giulio Ciccone, Damiano Caruso, Vincenzo Nibali and Miguel Angel Lopez could all be at the start of the 2022 Giro in Budapest.
“It is clear that this is one of the most difficult routes in the Giro d’Italia in the last few years and one with the most meters of climbing” Vegni said despite many fans showed disappointment regarding 2022 route.
