Pre-Giro d’Italia challenge in four-day Italian stage race
The Giro del Trentino will see an early showdown between some of the contenders for this year’s Giro d’Italia as it gets under way in Lienz, Austria, tomorrow. Among the race favourites will be Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky), 2010 Vuelta winner Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), and 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans (BMC Racing); all of whom will be looking to get something from the race that takes place in one of Italy’s most mountainous regions.
The three riders were present at a pre-race press conference in Lienz.
So far Wiggins’ season has been very different from 2012, with fifth place in the Volta a Catalunya the high spot so far. The British rider is confident as he heads towards a first serious challenge for the Giro d’Italia, however, for which the Giro del Trentino will be a serious part of his preparation.
“I don’t have any big trouble, got pretty good feelings but can’t really state what my chances are,” said Wiggins. “If there was an individual time trial in the programme, it would have probably been easier. I picked this race because I know it is the perfect setup for the Giro d’Italia, with great mountains to climb and top-notch opponents”
Nibali’s season has been far more successful, with a successful defence of his Tirreno-Adriatico title for his new team. The Italian abandoned Milano-Sanremo shortly afterwards, however, as he was unable to cope with the freezing conditions of the race.
“My last stage race was Tirreno-Adriatico, but I have nice feelings,” he said. “I won the Giro del Trentino once [in 2008 – ed], I know how hard and how great it is. It was a key juncture in my career, helped me a lot to raise confidence in my abilities.
“Should the chance arise, I will not let it go”
Evans has elected to ride in Trentino this week instead of at the Ardennes Classics of la Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where he has been successful in the past. The former World champion’s reasoning is simple, however.
“My decision to race the Giro d’Italia and the Giro del Trentino came pretty late, so I need to test my condition in first place,” he explained. “I feel ok, but whether or not my pace will be enough to compete with such rivals, only road will tell.”
The race will get under way with a 128.5km road half stage tomorrow morning, followed by a 14.1km team time trial in the afternoon. The race will be decided in the following days, however, as stages two, three and four head into the mountains, with two of those featuring summit finishes.