- 77th career victory for Pogacar
- Slovenian dominates GC after 6 stage wins
In an electrifying climax to an extraordinary edition of the Corsa Rosa, the eternal city of Rome witnessed a monumental achievement as Tadej Pogačar was crowned champion of the Giro d’Italia 2024. This victory marks a spectacular milestone, not only for the Pogacar but also for UAE Team Emirates, securing their first ever triumph in the prestigious Italian race.
Pogačar’s victory is particularly notable as he becomes the second consecutive Slovenian to win the Giro, following in the footsteps of Primoz Roglic. The final stage, a gruelling 125 km loop in Rome, concluded with a thrilling sprint victory by Tim Merlier of Soudal-Quickstep. However, the day belonged to Pogačar, who dominated the general classification, finishing a staggering 9 minutes and 56 seconds ahead of Daniel Martinez (Bora-hansgrohe) and 10 minutes and 24 seconds ahead of Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers).
Pogačar also took the blue jersey of the best climber and 6 stage victories, for a total sum of 77 victories in his career. It makes 38 victories in 2024 for UAE Team Emirates.
Reflecting on his victory, Pogačar expressed: “This is even better than the real thing, you never know how it feels until you try and I can say this is a dream come true.
This was the main target of the first part of the season, now I will have a little rest and then I will start to prepare the second part and another big goal: I can’t wait for it.
Winning a race is something great, but winning the Giro in this way it’s something special, it’s unbelievable, with such a lot of good memories I shared with my team mates and the rest of the team members that we could write a book about them”.
Giro d’Italia - Stage 21
1. Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quickstep) 2h51’50”
2. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) s.t.3. Kaden Groves (Alpecin Deceuninck) s.t.
Giro d’Italia – final general classification
1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) 79h14’03”
2. Daniel Martinez (Bora-hansgrohe) 9’56”
3. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) 10’24”