Giro d’Italia: There’s no obsession with Tadej Pogačar wearing pink from start to finish says UAE team

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) may be the overwhelming favourite for the Giro d’Italia but his team are not putting any pressure on taking the maglia rosa on stage 1 and retaining the leader’s jersey right until the end of the race.

No rider has been in the lead of the Giro d’Italia from start to finish since Gianni Bugno in 1990. Pogačar is such a clear candidate for the overall victory that the 34-year-old record could be equalled, especially given that the opening stage in Turin is wide open for late attacks and doesn’t suit the pure sprinters.

However, Matxin Fernández, the sports manager at UAE Team Emirates, isn’t putting any undue pressure on his team leader, and is instead hoping that Pogačar saves energy for the all-important final week of the Giro before embarking on the Tour de France in July, where he will hope to win a third yellow jersey in five years.

“The team is ready and the riders are in good condition and it’s all for Tadej,” Fernandez told GCN during a call on Wednesday morning.

When asked if taking the maglia rosa on stage 1, Fernandez said: “I don’t know. Stage 1 is a special stage but it’s not for the pure sprinters. Maybe for the sprinters who can climb but it’s also not for the pure climbers. Lots of riders have the opportunity to win stage 1. It could be complicated but it could be perfect for Tadej. It’s still complicated but taking the maglia rosa isn’t our main objective. The biggest objective is to stay in a good position and to stay safe.”

Read more: Giro d’Italia 2024: Essential race preview

The Spaniard also played down Pogačar’s aim of invincibility, pointing to the fact that the Slovenian crashed out of the Ardennes last year when on course for a triple after winning Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne in quick succession. The Giro is long, and there will undoubtedly be many twists and turns that neither the race favourite nor his team can predict.

“He’s a normal rider and you have to remember what happened last year, when he had a perfect week in Amstel and Flèche and then he crashed in Liège. That’s cycling and you can have a bad moment. The Giro d’Italia is complicated and you have to remain in the front, where there’s a fight to be in a good position. It’s not mathematics and you need to remain focused the entire time,” Fernández added.

The reality for Pogačar is that every one of his GC rivals will be expecting him and his UAE teammates to control the Giro d’Italia for the majority of the three-week affair.

“For this reason, that’s why we’ve selected this team. All the responsibilities are on us and we take that. Our riders know their roles and it’s not to fight for GC but to take responsibility for the race. Maybe there will be help with the sprinters' teams over three weeks. We’ll take it day by day but we don’t want to complicate the Tour de France by obsessing with the maglia rosa for the entire race. That’s not the plan because we want to save energy with the third week in mind. Stages 15, 16, 17, 19 and 20 are really hard. The final week is really important and that’s where we save focus and energy for.”

And while the very best Tour de France rivals are missing from this year’s start list at the Giro d’Italia, Fernández does feel as though there are enough threats within the field to give Pogačar a fight.

“We understand that the rivals are not maybe the big names like Vinegaard, Roglic or Evenepoel but the experience of Geraint Thomas in the Giro d’Italia needs to be given attention. He’s one of the best alternatives and he’s always in the right position, every day, and he has that experience. Then you have the condition of riders like Ben O’Connor, Dani Martínez, Roman Bardet and Cian Uijtdebroeks along with others. There are a lot of rivals,” he said.

For everything you need to know about the 2024 Giro d'Italia, from the history of the race to this year's route and start list, be sure to check out our dedicated race hub.