Winner of a stage in last year’s Giro and overall winner of the Giro del Trentino in the same year, climbing specialist Domenico Pozzovivo has said that he is gunning for a better overall performance in next year’s Italian tour.
The 30 year old Ag2r La Mondiale rider was at yesterday’s Giro route presentation and had reason to be pleased, with no less than nine summit finishes in next year’s race.
These include an uphill time trial and, after he did an unexpectedly good race against the clock en route to sixth overall in the recent Vuelta a España, he may fancy his chances of gaining time there against his rivals next March.
“I wish to upgrade my Giro classification. Before the Vuelta I thought I can reach the podium if the weather would be [have been] better, because I don’t like very much the conditions of this year,” he said in the video interview below.
“I wish to upgrade next year my classification.”
Pozzovivo is small and light and has shown that he is one of the best pure climbers in the peloton. He has finished eighth, ninth and tenth in the Giro but if he can maximise his uphill performances on next year’s route, should be able to improve on that.
His climbing ability yesterday was compared to Pantani. He was asked if he dreamt of winning on the Plan di Montecampione climb where, fifteen years ago, the Italian triumphed in the race lead and went on to win the Giro.
Pozzovivo said that he would be honoured if he was able to echo Pantani there, but that the Giro had many other difficult climbs and that another, Monte Zoncolan, would likely be an even tougher test.
There, on the penultimate day of next year’s race, he will empty the tank and hope that the performance will put him on the final podium in Trieste on June 1st.