The 25-year-old rider has always wanted to win a stage in all the Grand Tours. He secured this with a mountain top finish.
With Tadej Pogacar’s stage win in the Giro d’Italia’s second stage on Sunday, the UAE Emirates star can now list stage victories in all of cycling’s Grand Tours on his resume.
After missing out on the final sprint on Saturday, the 25-year-old rider took revenge with a dominant solo win in a mountain finish at Santuario di Oropa.
“It has always been important to me to have stage wins in all three. Not many riders have that, and it’s a big deal in cycling, so I’m happy,” said Tadej Pogacar, according to the news agency AFP.
He crossed the finish line with a 27-second lead over the nearest pursuers and ended up in the pink leader’s jersey.
“They called me forward, and we set a pace we liked, so it was perfect. I just wanted the stage win. The dream was to take the pink jersey, and now I can relax a bit over the next few days, and we can be safe during the sprints,” Pogacar said.
Daniel Martínez (Bora) and Geraint Thomas (Ineos) finished second and third, respectively. Including bonuses, Pogacar now leads the overall race by 45 seconds.
“Tadej is Tadej,” said Thomas after the race, shrugging his shoulders.
In this year’s Giro d’Italia, the riders must complete a total of 3,400 kilometers spread over 21 stages. The final stage will be held in the Italian capital, Rome, on May 26.
Pogacar has been named as one of the clear favorites to win the overall classification in the Giro d’Italia. The same is true for this year’s Tour de France, which will take place later in the summer.
