Tadej Pogačar is set to make his debut as reigning world champion in the Giro dell'Emilia this weekend on Saturday, October 5.
The UAE Team Emirates racer's first appearance in the rainbow jersey he took with a spectacular breakaway in Zurich on Sunday will be made in the tough hilly one-day Classic, which finishes, as ever, with multiple ascents of the San Luca climb in Bologna.
Twice second in the Giro dell'Emilia, in 2022 and 2023, the Slovenian star will likely be looking for a debut victory in his third participation in the hilly 1.HC Italian Classic, which forms part of his build-up to a title defence at Il Lombardia a week later.
Former world champion Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) and Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), a triple winner and defending champion of the Giro dell'Emilia, are also expected to form part of a star-studded field for this year's 215km race on Saturday, October 5.
Pogačar has already been seen out training following his completion of the Triple Crown on Sunday, alongside his partner and fellow pro racer Urška Žigart (Liv-AIUIa-Jayco) and Formula 1 pilot Carlos Sainz. In a short, good-humoured video posted to Instagram, Sainz says the ride is 'good for a hangover' and Pogačar – wearing UAE Team Emirates team kit, not the rainbow jersey – laughingly agrees.
Pogačar will face a much harder ride on Saturday in Italy, with this year's 107th edition of the Giro dell'Emilia as ruggedly hilly as ever, starting with a grindingly long 13km ascent of the Zocca climb in the opening half.
However, if the history of one of Italy's most venerable Classics is anything to go by, the autumn Classic will once again be decided in the five ascents and summit finish of the lungburstingly steep San Luca (2.1 km at 9%), the main feature of an ultra-demanding 9.2km finishing circuit.
San Luca was last seen in race action in the 2024 Tour de France when it formed part of the finale of stage 2 - and where top contenders Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Evenepoel all made it into a late break behind stage winner Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), briefly pushing the Slovenian into the overall lead.
This time round, once again, Pogačar's performance will be one of the most keenly watched aspects of the racing on the San Luca - but unlike in July, with the rainbow jersey already conquered and on his back for a whole year to come.
