The keys in Pogacar's preparation to face the Giro-Tour

Tadej Pogacar is finalizing the details to go for the first big challenge of the season: the Giro d'Italia 2024. The Slovenian arrives as the top favorite, although he will have to pedal without emptying himself with the goal of staying fresh for the Tour. Mauro Gianetti, director of UAE Team Emirates, has pointed out the keys to the preparation with which they hope their star achieves success.

Pogacar dreams of the Giro-Tour double in 2024: the preparation and challenges of the challenge

The Giro d'Italia 2024 will be the global epicenter of cycling from May 4 to 26. With just a few days left before the curtain rises in San Francesco al Campo, pressure begins to build around Tadej Pogacar who will step on Italian territory as the clear favorite for victory. The absence of Wout Van Aert paves the way for the Slovenian, although the UAE Team Emirates contender faces a huge challenge: to triumph in both the Giro and the Tour.

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Pogacar is determined to conquer the Giro-Tour double this season. Marco Pantani was the last to achieve the feat in 1998 and, while the Tour de France should theoretically be a more challenging task, the Giro will be a tough test that he must overcome with strength but also with maturity and intelligence.

Winning the pink jersey with excessive wear could hinder his chances of wearing the yellow jersey in Paris. In order to ward off any bad omens, Pogacar has followed a preparation in which he has only been seen competing for ten days: victory in Strade Bianche, third place in Milan-Sanremo, and wins in the Volta and Liege.

Mauro Gianetti, director of UAE Team Emirates, has revealed the keys to this preparation in statements to WielerFlits and Velo. Above all, he is cautious: "We have confidence in the Giro d'Italia, but, of course, the Giro remains the Giro. We must approach it with great respect. We are working hard with the team to arrive at the start of the Giro with the best team to support Tadej. We take it very seriously."

"I assure you that we want to start the Giro d'Italia with Tadej at one hundred percent. You can't go to Italy with a half-hearted physical state, because it won't be easy. It will be important to manage his strength well during the Giro and have enough energy for the Tour de France. That is the challenge," he added.

Gianetti stated that the difficulty of the double is one of the main reasons that motivated both the Slovenian rider and the team: "if we don't try, we won't be able to see if it's possible or not," to which he added that "for Tadej it was interesting to take on this challenge, because he likes very difficult challenges. And the same goes for us."

Furthermore, he expressed his belief that in the Giro "he will grow every day; day by day, he will improve his condition, as usual." "If everything goes well, he will finish the Giro in good form." Additionally, he considers that the Giro will be good for him due to the limited competitions he will participate in before the race and because "then he will take a complete recovery period," he explained.

"This year is a good opportunity, a good Giro, perhaps with a little less mountain compared to last year."

Gianetti placed equal importance on the Tour and the Giro. "The goal is clear: we want to win both the Giro and the Tour. (...). To achieve that goal, we will have to win both. It's not that one stands out for us."

Finally, he stated that "we don't have pressure, we only have the opportunity to try the Giro-Tour double. And we are taking advantage of this opportunity."