Bauke Mollema first ride the Giro d’Italia back in 2010 but 13 years on, the Trek-Segafredo rider still loves the Corsa Rosa and is convinced that the Giro remains faithful to one of its roots.
“It’s always more of an adventure than the Vuelta or Tour,” Mollema, who has ridden 21 Grand Tours, including the Giro d’Italia five times, tells Cyclingnews.
“That’s partly because I know the roads a bit better in France, as I’ve done more recon camps there and the Tour more often. But also because in Italy, there are so many mountains and little towns there, they seem to have different uphill finishes every year.
“So it’s a bit harder to know what’s coming, and to find out, if you can, you have to look on the Internet from several years before to see what the roads are like. Normally you just have to follow your feelings and try to make the best of it.”
“There are always more unexpected things in the Giro,” Mollema explains.
“The Italian roads are twistier, trickier to handle. There can be a parked car round the corner or some potholes in the road. In general, the roads are worse than in France or Spain so you have to be more alert.”
“Normally in the Tour the weather is bit better as well. Last year was good in the Giro, but I can remember some very rainy Giro, like in 2019 and 2010 and two years ago [2021] it was absolutely terrible.”
But even with those risks and meteorological uncertainty, Mollema says the Giro retains a real sense of attraction.
“It’s a bit more old school in Italy. Luckily we have a chef and the food in Italy is normally not so bad, anyway. But some of the [team] hotels are, let’s say, not the same: there are a lot of old ones.”
“But even that, in a race, has its charm. The Giro has always been a hard race for me, to tell the truth. Maybe it’s the time of year, maybe it’s the weather.”
“But I do like the Giro, maybe the Vuelta suits me better with the hot weather, but it’s a nice race and it normally helps me take a small step towards the Tour, too. Whenever I’ve won a stage in the Tour – in 2017 and again in 2021 – I’ve always done the Giro beforehand. Normally after I’ve done it, I feel really good.”
Completing the collection
Already with Tour and Vuelta stage wins in his palmares, Mollema is still on the hunt for his first stage win in the Giro. It will be one of his goals for the 2023 race, along with offering team support work for Trek-Segafredo sprinter…
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