Rome witnessed a significant achievement for UAE sports yesterday, Sunday, with UAE team cyclist Tadej Pogačar being crowned the champion of the 2024 Giro d'Italia. This victory marks a milestone not only in Pogačar's career but also for the Emirates Cycling Team, as it is their first-ever win in this prestigious Italian race. Pogačar becomes the second Slovenian to win the Giro d'Italia consecutively, following Primož Roglič.
The curtain fell on the final stage after a tough 125-kilometer race course in Rome, with Tim Merlier from the Soudal-Quick Step team winning the stage with a remarkable sprint. However, Pogačar maintained his lead in the overall classification, finishing the race with a time gap of 9 minutes and 56 seconds ahead of Daniel Martínez (from Bora-Hansgrohe) and 10 minutes and 24 seconds ahead of Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers). Pogačar also received the blue jersey for the best climber and won 6 stages, bringing his career total to 77 victories and marking his 38th win in 2024 for the Emirates team.
Pogačar expressed his happiness with this exceptional achievement, noting that winning this race was his primary goal for the first part of the season.
The results for Giro d'Italia - Stage 21 were as follows:
1. Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quick Step) 2:51:50 hours.
2. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) the same time.
3. Caden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) the same time.
Final General Classification for Giro d'Italia:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Emirates Team) 79:14:03 hours.
2. Daniel Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe) + 9:56 minutes.
3. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) + 10:24 minutes.
