With Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) in total control of the maglia rosa, the battle for the podium will be the race to watch during the third week of the Giro d’Italia, creating a fascinating race within the race.
Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) is 6:41 down on Pogačar after the Slovenian’s dominant solo victory at Livigno on Sunday, a margin not seen at this point of the race since Eddy Merckx dominated the 1973 Corsa rosa.
However, Dani Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe) is only 15 seconds down on the Welshman and Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R) is fourth at 1:02 from Thomas.
All three are experienced Grand Tour riders so the fight for the final podium places could last all the way to next Saturday’s double ascent of Monte Grappa.
Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) is fifth overall at 9:26, with Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) sixth at 9:45 and a threat to Tiberi’s best young rider’s white jersey.
Romain Bardet (Dsm-firmenich PostNL) is a distant 10:49 but is a threat and the Frenchman is looking forward to the final week in the mountains and wants to make up for a poor first week of the Giro.
These riders will race each other, rather than worry about any attacks from Pogačar or breakaway riders, just as they did on the Passo di Foscagno on Sunday. It will be a strategic game of nerves and performance, starting with Tuesday’s mountain finish in Santa Cristina Val Gardena on the edge of the Dolomites.
Thomas kept a low profile on the second rest day in Livigno but was hoping to rest up before the double-header of mountain finishes on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"We've done well so far in this race but it's two super hard days straight after the rest day, so we've just got to try and be ready for that,” he said on Sunday beyond the finish line.
O’Connor spoke via video call on Monday after preferring to stay warm and quickly head down from the Mottolino ski station via cable car on Sunday. The Australian was angry to lose even eight seconds to Thomas and Martinez and is up for a fight in the mountains.
“I'm not afraid at all. The mountains are where I perform my best, so I have to be ready, prepared, and see if I can get some time back to end up on the podium. If not, then so be it. But I'll try my best to do so,” he said.
“It's only a minute between me and Dani, so it's very open, and you have quite a few very, very hard stages. So I don’t think anything is out of the question.
“The final week is the crunch time of the Giro, as always. You have to be at your best. Hopefully, I give it my all, and then you'll see where you end up when you get to Rome.”
24 hours after the Livigno stage finish, O’Connor had a more appreciative view of his performance and he has projected that forward to the rest of the week. No day is more critical than stage 17, which finishes on the summit of the Passo Brocon and includes four major climbs in just 159 km.
“I didn't feel 100%, but that was probably due to Saturday's time trial. I managed to limit the damage and in the end, I’m happy with the outcome. It was one of my toughest days on the bike, so to still perform well is a good signal," he said.
"I think probably the Brocon stage is probably the day that suits me the best. It's continuous, up and down in the mountains. I think that that's enough to really create some pretty big gaps. This is the day I'm probably looking forward to most.
“I think Tadej will probably ride a little bit more defensive because he’s got such a big lead. So it's up to us, Bora and Ineos to fight for those two final podium places in Rome.”
Martinez has also been studying the stages of the final week closely.
He is in a Grand Tour leadership role for the first time in his career but helped Egan Bernal win the 2021 Giro d’Italia. He has the chance of a lifetime to finish on the podium.
“I still feel good, although I’m a bit tired. But I'm looking forward to the final week of this Giro,” he said during a video call.
“It’ll be especially important to perform consistently, that is the key. I still feel calm at the moment and I’m enjoying my time here.
“Tuesday’s stage will be crucial and then there is the last mountain stage over Monte Grappa. That is the toughest stage of this Giro. Monte Grappa is a one-hour climb.
"In the next few days, it'll be important to race sensibly and wait for your moment. I worked hard for this Giro and the goal was to finish on the podium but Rome is still far away.”
