'Geraint Thomas fighting for second, Tadej Pogacar is unbeatable' – Alberto Contador on 2024 Giro d'Italia
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Published 03/05/2024 at 09:10 GMT
He may be second favourite to win the Giro d'Italia, but not even Geraint Thomas has a prayer of stopping the "unbeatable" Tadej Pogacar, according to two-time champion Alberto Contador. Thomas was a time trial away from winning the maglia rosa last year, only to see rival Primoz Roglic stage an incredible recovery from a mechanical to snatch the pink jersey away in a dramatic finale.
Highlights from Stage 20 of Giro as Roglic storms to victory to take pink jersey from Thomas
Geraint Thomas? Romain Bardet? No, Tadej Pogacar's biggest obstacle to winning the Giro d'Italia will be a mechanical, illness or crash, according to Eurosport expert Alberto Contador, who branded the 25-year-old "unbeatable".
Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) is the overwhelming favourite to win the opening Grand Tour of the season as he hunts a rare Giro-Tour de France double, a feat last achieved in 1998 by Marco Pantani.
The Slovenian has been in scintillating form this campaign, claiming six wins and two more podiums from just 10 days of racing, and headlines a Giro field also containing 2019 Tour champion Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers).
Thomas was cruelly denied victory at the 2023 Giro after seeing Primoz Roglic usurp him on the final competitive stage, with Contador admitting the Welshman will probably have to content himself with second spot again.
"I think Thomas is going to fight for the podium and for second place in the general classification," said Contador.
"The Thomas from the present, we are not talking about Thomas who won the Tour in the past... I think he is not able to compete with Pogacar, who is now unbeatable."
Contador suggested Pogacar could look to take the leader's maglia rosa on the opening weekend, then try and coast in pink to conserve energy ahead of his Tour bid.
Saturday's Stage 1 sees the peloton travel from Vanaria Reale to Turin, via three progressively trickier categorised climbs culminating in the Cat. 2 Colle della Maddalena, while Sunday's Stage 2 hosts the first summit finish.
"No one will be able to stand up against him [Pogacar] in normal conditions, unless he has a mechanical problem, a disease or a fall, which I hope it doesn’t happen," said Contador.
"How will he race? I think he will go out for all. I believe that Pogacar, on the first day on the Col della Maddalena... if he starts carefully, then he can be leader on the first day of the Giro.
"If I were Pogacar [on Stage 1] - and I say this seated in my house, not on the bicycle in Italy with incredible legs - I say, 'hey, why can’t I win?'
"Perhaps he is interested in minimising efforts, especially in the last week, thinking about the Tour de France."
The Giro finishes on May 26, with the Tour starting on June 29.
'Be conservative' - McEwen on double attempt
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Highlights: Pogacar storms to win, Van der Poel fights back for third
Meanwhile, Robbie McEwen, who will return to give his views on The Breakaway during the Giro, urged Pogacar not to waste unnecessary energy in his Giro-Tour bid.
Asked to give Pogacar one piece of advice for his double attempt, 12-time stage winner McEwen said: "Be conservative in the Giro. It's a long time until the end of July.
"No matter if you're the big favourite and you're stronger than everybody in the Giro, it's a race and a course that can really hurt you if you have ambition to do the double.
"Yes, of course, ride to win the Giro but be conservative for the energy."
Pogacar has twice won the Tour (2020 and 2021) but has seen Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) best him at the last two editions.
However, Vingegaard's participation remains in doubt after he suffered multiple fractures in a nasty crash at the Itzulia Basque Country, which also wiped out fellow Tour hopefuls Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) and Primoz Roglic (Bora-Hansgrohe).
"Pogacar can win the Giro-Tour regardless of whether Vingegaard or others would have or not have fallen," insisted Contador.
"It is undoubted that Jonas Vingegaard is a great rival. It is true that he is very solid, he has a very good measure of the Tour of France, as he has demonstrated the last two years.
"But Pogacar, even if these riders would not have fallen, had many chances of winning the Giro and the Tour."
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