Forza Ragazzi!

This Giro has attracted a lot of sprinters, and with a few exceptions, I think the best are all here so, competing against them will be hard but exciting. On paper, there are many opportunities for us, I count at least six, but I expect really hard-fought challenges. If I have to give two names I fear most, I would say Olav Kooij and Tim Merlier.

I come back to the Giro with great ambitions and, together with the team, we put a big red circle around this race in the winter already. We have built a train that, race after race, has gained consistency and confidence. I think we are one of the strongest teams for sprints at the start of this Giro. I feel so much confidence around me, so much desire to do well. I am really excited about this group. I will be the leader for the sprints, but our Giro is certainly not limited to that. We have riders who can play the game on all terrains, and that is what we, as Lidl-Trek, have in mind.

It seems trite to say that winning is easy but repeating it is difficult. However, that is my big goal for the Corsa Rosa. I know the bar has been raised, I know I have a lot of eyes on me but, I also know that I have prepared in the best possible way. I am chasing the goal of stage wins and the Ciclamino jersey, achieving this would truly give me great satisfaction.

Recovering in time for this Giro has been a challenge, but, in the end, I’m glad I made it. I don’t want to spend energy regretting the time lost because of the crash. I did my utmost to prepare for the race but I know I am starting with some question marks and the hope to improve my form. What matters is that I am here now, happy and determined to get back in the peloton for my second Giro.

The crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen is still a vivid memory. I lived the last month pedaling on home trainers, having medical checkups and doing a lot of physiotherapy. Only in the last days I was able to train on the road. I gave my body time to recover, that was the priority, and then I evaluated its reaction by getting back in the saddle.

It’s hard for me to talk about concrete goals for this Giro as I would have done without the crash and all that came with it. Especially in the first week, I will live the race day by day. I want to contribute to the sprint lead out for Jonny, and then we will figure out the rest of the race and try to see how I can fight for a stage success myself. It will be a Giro to build on, stage by stage, with the hope of finding the feeling I had a month ago.

My approach to this Giro was special with my first win as a professional at Tour of the Alps, then the GC win, I think its the best I could hope for. I feel good, the condition is very good, and in short, it’s hard for me to ask for better coming into a Grand Tour that I love and that, in 2022, gave me great emotions.

I do not hide that I have great ambitions for this race: my goal is to win a stage. I achieved the first step I was looking for, that of breaking the ice as a professional, and now I want a WorldTour victory. This Giro is a great opportunity and I want to make the most of it.

I feel that talking about the GC is too early right now. I think it’s a goal to think about later in the race. Right now, in my head, there is the stage win, but that will certainly not mean that I will aim to get out of the GC quickly in order to enjoy more freedom. I’ll do my best to keep a good position along with other GC guys and then, we’ll see day by day how the classification turns out and what I can get in the third week.