On the occasion of the presentation of the Giro 2026 route, the organizers sent a scathing message to Tadej Pogacar.
Winner of the Tour of Italy in 2024,
Tadej Pogacar will not be the man who revolutionizes the cycling calendar. The Slovenian had made this audacious proposal: reverse the dates of the Giro with that of the Vuelta.
“Combining the Tour and the Vuelta is always complicated, confided the world champion. I have always said that if the Vuelta was swapped with the Giro, both races would benefit, both in terms of the weather and the number of riders entered. »
This proposal had been validated by Adam Hansen, the president of the riders’ union, who explained that he had already submitted the idea during certain meetings with the authorities. “ I have been made fun of, but it is clear that they have never run the Giro in freezing rain or snow, nor the Vuelta in oppressive heat,” explains the Australian, about the leaders of cycling.
The Giro in August is a no!
On the sidelines of the presentation of the route of the 2026 editionthe organizers of the Tour of Italy responded to Pogacar’s proposal. With an end of inadmissibility.
“The Giro has traditional dates and we don’t want them to be changed”said Paolo Bellino, general manager of RCS Sportshas Cycling news.
“Each Grand Tour has its own history and significance, partly determined by its place on the calendar. The Giro was run 107 times in May. The only exception dates back to the Covid pandemic, a unique period for the whole world, during which we had to do everything to save the season,” adds Bellino, whose conclusion is perfectly clear: “There will be no reversal between the Giro and the Vuelta. »
