‘I was riding on the front wheel with zero pressure’ – Pogačar brushes off crash but the Giro is far from over

If there were any lingering doubts about Tadej Pogačar’s condition after his narrow defeat on Saturday’s opening stage of the Giro d’Italia, they evaporated completely in just over four kilometres on Sunday at Oropa as the Slovenian soloed to victory and his first leader’s jersey in the race.

The UAE Team Emirates rider’s gap of 27 seconds at the finish on his closest rivals was perhaps not his most crushing mountain performance of recent years, but it was more than enough to put him in the lead by 45 seconds on Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), once again back in the runner’s up spot he occupied in last year’s Giro.