We have to count the years again, and every twelve months one has been added since 2016, inexorably. Italy doesn’t win Giro for 8 seasons. A void never seen before, which 2024 will hardly be able to fill. Nevertheless. Something is moving under the ashes of a movement that is struggling to find talent, that has no teams in the top category, that has fewer and fewer high-level races and is struggling to keep young people on its streets. The emigration of talent to foreign development teams does not stop. But in the meantime let’s try to understand, in these three weeks, whether Antonio Tiberi, Giulio Pellizzari e Davide Piganzoli they have a possible future at the top of the rankings of major stage races.
Tiberi time
The Lazio Antonio Tiberi (he was born in Frosinone but is originally from Gavignano, in the province of Rome), 22 years old, he seems the most refined product, at the moment, for the big leap. Top 5 indicate its sports directors at Bahrain Victorious, he is more cautious, but his growth is all in the numbers: in 2024 he finished 27th in the Tirreno-Adriatico, 8th in the Volta a Catalunya, 3rd in the Tour of the Alps. Without victories, but with many good placings in the high mountain stages. Long distance climber-climber, excellent time trialist (he was junior world champion in 2019), regular runner with a good team behind him (Caruso, Zambanini, Traen the best companions in the difficult stages), Tiberi has everything except the experience to hold up. Pogacar aside from that, he put the other opponents for the podium at the Tour of the Alps behind them or managed to keep them.
The climbs of Pellizzari
A pure climber, the man from the Marche region Giulio Pellizzari (VF Group – Bardiani CSF – Faizanè) is a diamond still rough, but not without courage. Strange season for him: he alternated races among the big boys with Under races. An action by him in the Schwaz stage decided the Tour of the Alps in favor of Juan Pedro Lopez, who followed him and then broke away and beat him at the finish line. He is on the first big tour of his career. A year ago he finished the Tour de l’Avenir in 2nd place behind the formidable Mexican Del Toro. Objective: a stage, not the ranking, at least for now. At 20, he will be the youngest at the start of the Giro d’Italia.
The Piganzoli promise
Different twins, Pellizzari and Piganzoli, shared the podium at the Avenir 2023. Piganzoli from Valtellina (Polti-Kometa) has already made his mark among the greats: he won the stage and final classification at the Tour of Antalya, in February. Then the placings went up a bit, but at the Tour of the Alps he was always fighting with the best. Climber, rather stuck in the time trial, will have to improve a lot. But time is on his side: he is just 21 years old.
The other Italians
Barring last-minute changes, there will be just 43, 8 less than in 2023. Many interesting youngsters at the start: Lorenzo Germani, Lorenzo Milesi (red jersey for one day at the 2023 Vuelta, excellent timekeeper), breakaway specialist Alessandro Verre, the promising Marco Frigo, the former Italian champion Filippo Zana (a stage won at the 2023 Giro, in Val di Zoldo), Giovanni Aleotti, up to the more seasoned Lorenzo Fortunato (the flight on the Zoncolan in 2021 remained the highest point of his career ), Matteo Fabbro. And then the great old men: Alessandro De Marchi, Damiano Caruso and Domenico Pozzovivo, in attendance number 18, having reached Wladimiro Panizza’s record. And then of course Filippo Ganna (time trial, but not only), the Friulian sprinter Jonathan Milan, the other Italian of the pursuit quartet Simone Consonni, the puncheur Andrea Bagioli, the Italian champion Simone Velasco, the very expert Matteo Trentin, Alberto Dainese for the group sprints .
The huge favorite Pogacar
Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Emirates) is unequivocally the huge favourite. Only victories or almost only in his 2024 which is not too crowded with races (10 days of racing, 7 centres, Strade Bianche and Liège included): Oropa, if not already the Turin stage, could give him wings. In the five stage races in his career he has never fallen off the podium: 3rd at the 2019 Vuelta, 1st at the 2020 and 2021 Tours, 2nd at the 2022 and 2023 Tours.
High ranking men
Geraint Thomas (Ineos) lost the last Giro da Roglic for 14″ and, at 38 years old, he will have a great desire for redemption. Last year on the bike, probably, and for him Giro and Tour. The Australian Ben O’Connor (Decathlon) is testing the maturity of a career of eternal promise and many, too many falls. Romain Bardet (Dsm) at 33 years old he will have space for his attacks. The 21 year old Belgian Cian Uijtdebroeks will try to revive the disastrous spring of Visma-Lease a Bike. Juan Pedro Lopez (Lidl-Trek) won the Tour of the Alps. Kazakh Lutsenko he has already finished a Tour de France in the top 10 and can repeat the feat. Quintana aim for the high mountain stages. Irish Dunbar can explode, as can Australian Plapp.
The sprinters
Not too many stages for the sprinters, 5, at most 6. From Tim Merlier to Olav Kooij, from Kaden Groves to Biniam Girmay, from Fernando Gaviria to Caleb Ewan up to Fabio Jakobsen, these are the strong names for the sprints. To battle with them, as mentioned, too Jonathan Milan and Alberto Dainese. Not a sprinter, but a sure protagonist in many stages will be Giro debutant Julian Alaphilippe.
The stages
There are six hamlets with an uphill finish: Oropa (2nd), Prati di Tivo (8th), Bocca della Selva (10th), Livigno (15th), Monte Pana (16th), Brocon (17th), plus the tough hamlets of Sappada ( 19th) and Bassano del Grappa (20th) on the eve of the grand final in Rome. We start from Venaria Reale for the second time in history (the first in 2011). On the Stelvio (16th stage) the Cima Coppi. Six hills above 2000 metres, two time trials (68 km in total). This is the complete list of stages:
May 4, stage 1: Venaria Reale-Turin, 136 km
5 May, stage 2: San Francesco al Campo–Santuario di Oropa (Biella), 150 km
May 6, stage 3: Novara-Fossano, 165 km
May 7, stage 4: Acqui Terme-Andora, 187 km
May 8, stage 5: Genoa-Lucca, 176 km
May 9, stage 6: Viareggio-Rapolano Terme, 177 km
May 10, stage 7: Foligno-Perugia, 37.2 km (individual time trial)
May 11, stage 8: Spoleto-Prati di Tivo, 153 km
May 12, stage 9: Avezzano-Naples, 206 km
May 14, stage 10: Pompeii-Cusano Mutri (Bocca della Selva), 141 km
May 15, stage 11: Foiano di Val Fortore-Francavilla al Mare, 203 km
May 16, stage 12: Martinsicuro-Fano, 183 km
May 17, stage 13: Riccione-Cento, 179 km
May 18, stage 14: Castiglione delle Stiviere-Desenzano del Garda, 31 km (individual time trial)
May 19, stage 15: Manerba del Garda-Livigno (Mottolino), 220 km
May 21, stage 16: Livigno-Santa Cristina Val Gardena (Monte Pana), 202 km
May 22, stage 17: Selva di Val Gardena-Passo Brocon, 154 km
May 23, stage 18: Fiera di Primiero-Padova, 166 km
May 24, stage 19: Mortegliano-Cima Sappada, 154 km
May 25, stage 20: Alpago-Bassano del Grappa, 175 km
May 26, stage 21: Rome-Rome, 126 km
On TV
All stages of the Corsa Rosa will be broadcast on TV, free-to-air, on Rai channels and by subscription on Eurosport 1. It will also be visible in free streaming on RaiPlay and by subscription on Discovery+, NOW, SkyGo and DAZN. Rai will begin the day with “Giro Mattina” which will have a variable time (it will start 45 minutes before the start of each stage) and will continue with “Prima Diretta”, “Giro in diretta”, “Giro all’interno”, the Processo alla Tappa”, “TGiro” at 8pm and “Giro Notte” at midnight. The TV channels dedicated to broadcasts will be Rai 2 and Rai Sport HD. There will be three commentators: the commentator Francesco Pancani, Davide Cassani, returning as second voice of the commentary after 10 years, and the writer Fabio Genovesi. To them, as always, will be added the commentary from the race with two motorbike reporters: Giada Borgato, in her second year of motion reporting, will join Stefano Rizzato. Eurosport will rely as always on the Luca Gregorio-Riccardo Magrini duo.
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– 2024-05-03 16:49:09
