Ineos stars can make it 'very difficult' for Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic at Giro d’Italia - Adam Blythe

Published 13/05/2023 at 19:24 GMT

The 2023 Giro d’Italia was billed as a showdown between Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic – but Geraint Thomas and Tao Geoghegan Hart also look up for the fight after catching the Slovenian’s slipstream on Stage 8. Evenepoel is just eight seconds off the maglia rosa, and has his favoured time trial on Sunday, but could not keep with his trio of rivals on Saturday’s finale.

Evenepoel made to eat 'nervous' jibe about Roglic, says McEwen

Ineos Grenadiers duo Geraint Thomas and Tao Geoghegan Hart can “start to play the numbers game” and take the fight to Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) and Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) at the Giro d'Italia, according to Eurosport expert Adam Blythe.

Thomas and Geoghegan Hart starred in a lively finish to Stage 8 on Saturday, following a strong attack from Roglic on the final climb, as Evenepoel wilted behind. The pair refused to contribute more than a token effort to Roglic’s attack as they were dragged to the finish in Fossombrone – taking 14 seconds back on Evenepoel in the race for the maglia rosa.

Evenepoel and Roglic were the runaway favourites ahead of the Giro, but Thomas and Geoghegan’s Hart’s presence in the finale on Saturday hints at a wider battle for pink – a battle that could stretch five ways if Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) backs up an impressive first week.

Giro d'Italia

How to watch Stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia as first summit finish looms

10/05/2024 at 21:34

Evenepoel is second in the race for pink, eight seconds adrift of Norway’s Andreas Leknessund (DSM). Roglic is at 38", Almedia at 40", Thomas at 52" and Geoghegan Hart at 56".

When asked on The Breakaway if the Stage 8 finale showed it was not shaping into the expected 'mano o mano' battle, Blythe said: "It’s not at all.

"For me, Tao went the quickest up the final climb because he started further back, had to make his way up. Just as he and Geraint got onto Remco’s wheel, you saw him almost take a breath and go ‘we are not going to take this guy with us if we are going to go’.

"I’m very happy that Primoz is in good condition. But with Ineos Grenadiers having two leaders in the team, they can really start to play the numbers game. That’s what is going to make it very difficult for Remco and Primoz."

'Nervous jibe came back in Evenepoel's face'

Meanwhile, Robbie McEwen claimed Evenepoel’s “nervous” jibe at Roglic and Jumbo-Visma “came back in his face” after he lost time in the hills.

Evenepoel took aim on Eurosport France show Rois de la Pédale after Stage 6, calling out his closest rival and claiming he was the strongest in their GC duel. Two days later, he was left eating those words.

“We got way more than we bargained for and it was so good to see, especially on the back of Remco’s comments the other day – ‘Roglic and his team are nervous’,” McEwen said.

“Wow, didn’t they [his words] come back in his face!”

Although Evenepoel is widely tipped to win Sunday’s individual time trial and take the leader's pink jersey off Leknessund, Dan Lloyd is worried that he will be found out in the mountains in the second and third weeks.

“He’s clearly still relaxed and I think he’s very confident going into tomorrow. It’s more of the rest of the big road stages to come that I’m starting to think ‘is he going to still have it then?’"