Sawt Falasteen - Vingegaard begins bid for Giro-Tour double with Pellizzari boosting home hopes

Already a two-time Tour winner, Vingegaard is the clear favourite for the Giro, with Pogacar sitting out this year's edition, and the Dane has been in great form this season.

The 29-year-old, who rides for Visma-Lease a Bike, has won two prestigious stage races in Paris-Nice and the Tour of Catalonia this year and his powerful climbing abilities are ideally suited to a typically tough route over three weeks.

Vingegaard is also gunning to become just the eighth man to complete the triple crown of the Giro, Tour and Vuelta a Espana, one of the few feats that Pogacar is yet to accomplish.

Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali and Chris Froome are the seven riders to have won all three Grand Tours.

When asked by the Gazzetta dello Sport whether winning all three Grand Tours before Pogacar was a source of motivation, mellow Vingegaard simply said "no".

"Completing the treble is a goal for me and that's it, because it would mean making a little bit of history," said Vingegaard in an interview published on Wednesday.

"He'll do it eventually, it's just a matter of time. Tadej might be the best ever, but I've beaten him before and I'm confident I can do it again."

Vingegaard is the top name in a strong field which, however, will be missing the entire podium from last year's thrilling edition won by Simon Yates, who retired in January.

Pogacar's UAE teammate Isaac del Toro, who conceded what would have been a first Grand Tour win to Yates in the penultimate stage, is sitting out the Giro this year in order to make his Tour debut.

- 'Unpredictable' Giro -

Richard Carapaz, meanwhile, is still recovering from surgery to remove a perineal cyst and will not take part in a race in which the first three stages will be held in Bulgaria, with the finish in Rome on May 31 after 3,468km of racing.

Joao Alemeida is also out of action with a viral infection, meaning that Adam Yates and Jay Vine will lead UAE's bid in Del Toro and Pogacar's absence.

The peloton will take on a punishing trip around Italy which contains seven summit finishes and an intriguing individual time trial in stage 10, a 40.2km charge along the Tuscan coast which could prove crucial.

"I think the Giro is more unpredictable. You need to be ready every day because more than in other races you can find surprises anywhere," added Vingegaard to Gazzetta.

Another surprise for Vingegaard could come in the shape of Giulio Pellizzari, the Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe leader, who on home turf will give hope to Italian fans that one of their own will win a Grand Tour for the first time since Nibali's 2016 Giro win.

Pellizzari was sixth in the Giro and Vuelta last season, and one of the sport's most promising young climbers seems to have taken another step forwards this year.

The 22-year-old warmed up for the Giro with his first stage race win at last month's Tour of the Alps, and he finished third in both Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of the Valencia Community earlier this year.

"From June 1 last year, when the Giro finished, I started to think about the next one because I already wanted to come back for more," Pellizzari said recently.

Pellizzari, who has 2022 winner Jai Hindley on his team, is probably the best hope for this year's Giro not becoming a one-man show for history-hunter Vingegaard.

D.Khalil--SF-PST