Dropped repeatedly during Paris-Nice and finishing a distance 48th overall, Ivan Basso has played down any concerns about his form, saying that he believes he’s on track for his big season goal of the Giro d’Italia.
The Cannondale Pro Cycling rider won the race in 2006 and 2010, and while he was back in fifth in 2012, believes he can win it once again before the end of his career.
However while he’s now 35 years of age and knows that time is running out, he said that he’s not too worried about finishing almost twenty minutes behind the winner Richie Porte (Sky) in Paris-Nice.
“This is my first race of the season. I was not expecting anything special, I just came here for the purpose of building fitness,” he told Cyclismactu. “Overall, the net balance is good in terms of the work which has been done, but the condition is still far from optimal.
“This year the goal is simple, the Giro d’Italia! My training has gone well so far and my racing program began therefore with Paris-Nice. Before the Giro, three other stage races remain in my program: the Coppi Bartali week, the Giro del Trentino and the Tour de Romandie.”
It is not clear if Basso will also ride single day events. However either way, with just 53 days to go until the start of the Giro, it is clear that he’ll have to work hard and make continuous progression in order to be in the shape to defeat the other general classification contenders.
One of those, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) is in pole position on today’s final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, and he too will expect to keep building his form in the remaining seven and a half weeks. Basso needs to close the gap to Nibali and others in that time, and to be stronger than that again to win the Giro.