Tiberi worries about his engine cooling off after rest day: "Possible that you've recovered so well that you're dropped"

The Italian home crowd expected compatriot Antonio Tiberi to perform exceptionally well in the Giro. The 22-year-old climber was designated as the team leader for Bahrain-Victorious and found a perfect mentor in fellow Italian Damiano Caruso – who is fourteen years his senior – but misfortune quickly disrupted their plans. Truly a shame, because Tiberi had shown good form in recent days and was climbing alongside the very best, as expected.

Tiberi finished a commendable eighth in the opening stage to Turin, but lost a lot of time in the second stage on the way to Oropa. At a particularly bad time, he got a flat tire and then, a few kilometers later, encountered another mechanical issue. Ultimately, the damage amounted to two minutes and 24 seconds at the summit, where Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) triumphed and took the pink jersey. However, Tiberi does not want to dwell much on that misfortune anymore.

"That flat tire on the way to Oropa was indeed unfortunate," Tiberi said at the press conference during the first rest day. "Afterward, I did show that I had good legs. I feel good, but the Giro is still long and I will try to catch up on my deficit. If I continue this way, I might even climb in the rankings, but we'll see where we end up."

Tiberi aware of decompression after tough first week: "It's possible that your engine has cooled down completely"

Caruso himself will not be able to repeat his fourth place from last time. The seasoned pro started well with a twelfth place in the opening stage, but due to crashes, he has slipped to 32nd place, over half an hour behind Pogacar. "Damiano has had quite bad luck with two crashes in this race, but now he wants to make a fresh start," Tiberi shared about his mentor. "He is still recovering from his crashes, but in my opinion, he is doing well."

For Tiberi, this is his very first grand tour as a designated team leader. "The team doesn't put any pressure on me but pushes me so that I handle things better. Everything is new and the responsibilities you have to take on are heavy. You have to be fully focused during every stage and can't relax for a moment, otherwise, you get into trouble. I will see how my body reacts to 21 days of stress, but for now, everything is going well."

The second week of the Giro immediately kicks off with a tough mountain stage. From Pompeii, the riders cover 142 kilometers through the southern Apennines. The finish follows a challenging final climb of eighteen kilometers, the Bocca della Selva above Cusano Mutri. "The second week excites me a lot, especially since we start on Tuesday with an important stage. It's a stage you have to be ready for, as it's the day after the rest day and there's a risk that your body is completely relaxed. It's possible that you've recovered so well that you slip under the radar, or you might have a moment when your engine has cooled down a bit, and then you just get dropped."