The Giro d'Italia gruppo spent Monday's rest day in hotels scattered along the Bay of Naples, with the dark, arid slopes of Vesuvius glowering down upon them. In his poem 'La Ginestra,' written under the volcano in Torre del Greco, Giacomo Leopardi used a shrub tenaciously growing amid the volcanic ash as a symbol of dignified resistance in the face of an inevitable destiny. Almost two centuries on, the men vying for overall victory at this Giro might recognise the sentiment.
Tadej Pogačar, already the winner of three stages, already in pink and already holding a lead of 2:40, is the runaway favourite to win this Giro d'Italia. A little over a week into the race, Pogačar's rivals have already reached the point where they are grateful for any respite in the seismic activity provoked by his movements.
"The first week went super well for me in the climbs and also in the TT," Pogačar said with considerable understatement when he met the press by way of a video call on Monday afternoon.
"If someone had told me beforehand that I'd be leading with 2:40 now, I would have signed for it right away. It's happened like this, and we can analyse this week as almost a perfect week for us. It's really been a 10 out of 10 Giro for us so far."
Given that Pogačar has been providing a daily running commentary on his Giro in the mixed zone after the podium ceremonies, it was only to be expected that conversation would turn to the Tour de France during his rest day press conference. And, given that Pogačar has been almost without peer over the first nine days of his Giro debut, it was understandable that there was a question about the one man who has had his number in recent seasons, Jonas Vingegaard.
The Dane's Tour participation was in doubt after he sustained a punctured lung and a fractured collarbone in a mass crash at Itzulia Basque Country last month, but he posted a video last week in which he signalled his return to training on the road. Visma-Lease a Bike have already indicated that Vingegaard will not ride the Critérium du Dauphiné, but the two-time Tour champion may yet recover in time to defend his title in July.
"I was really happy to see him on the bike and that he shared some news on media," Pogačar said of Vingegaard. "I'm looking forward to seeing him at the Tour, I think he's going to be there, and I think he's going to be in good shape. I wish him the best recovery and that he can push on the pedals faster and go [training] at altitude. I think we will see him at the Tour in really good shape."
Since Turin, management at UAE Team Emirates have politely insisted that their thoughts are focused squarely on the Giro from here until the finish on May 26. Still, after running up such an early buffer, Pogačar acknowledged that he can now manage his lead from here until Rome with an eye to keeping something in reserve for the Tour.
"For sure, it's in the back of the mind, the Tour," Pogačar said. "That's also why I'm happy I have a bigger gap. I don't have to push too much over the limit to take on the rivals."
Giro d'Italia
July is still some way off, and there are still two weeks of this Giro remaining, including its most arduous mountain stages. The most likely outcome is that Pogačar will avail of the terrain to extend his lead still further, but the history of this race is littered with examples of seemingly unassailable leaders who have unexpectedly run aground. Although Daniel Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe) lies second overall, Pogačar identified Geraint Thomas' Ineos squad as the most likely instigator of any insurgency.
"I think we can be really prepared next week and in the third week for big attacks from competitors, especially from Ineos," Pogačar said. "With [Thymen] Arensman and Geraint, they have good hands to play. But overall, I think it will be really hard racing with all the climbing. Anything can happen. I just need to be ready and always have a mindset to keep pushing to the end, even if I have a bad day or something. But it's really good to have a little bit of a time gap."
In truth, the Giro itself looks like Pogačar's true rival between here and Rome, although the most menacing stage on the menu in the second week takes place in friendly confines. Next Sunday's tappone over the Mortirolo finishes in Livigno, a favoured altitude training site of Pogačar over the years.
"The last day of this week will be the hardest I've ever ridden, a massive stage," Pogačar said. "But I'm really excited to go to Livigno over the Mortirolo. I've trained a lot there, so I'm really looking forward to it."
Before then, Pogačar has further opportunities to extend his advantage on the summit finish at Bocca di Selva on Tuesday and in the time trial to Desenzano del Garda on stage 14. "Tomorrow, if it's like Prati di Tivo, we can aim for a victory maybe," said Pogačar, who hit back against the notion that his team might prove an Achilles heel.
"I'm just used to it now that media and competitors try to undermine us and say that we don't have a good team. Everyone can say this, but we will show otherwise, we prove it over and again. Even if we don't have all the biggest names here, we're working really well."
Asked if he would try to farm out the maglia rosa to a breakaway in the coming days, Pogačar seemed to entertain the idea for a moment before realising that his tide of success in the first week had rendered the strategy all but impossible. "If we let the jersey go to a rider outside the top 10, it can be a possibility," he said. "But I don't think so, it doesn't make sense to let it go."
In other words, the irresistible force of this Giro looks set to keep sweeping away all before him.
