Tiberi wants to use "extra motivation boost" in Giro opening weekend: "I want to try something there"

Tiberi will have to do without his regular gregario, but above all, he loses a good climbing domestique in the number five of the most recent Giro d'Italia. Caruso also showed his form a few weeks ago with a stage win in the Tour of Burgos.

Bahrain Victorious have picked Finlay Pickering as a replacement. The 22-year-old British rider is also known as a good climber: in June, he finished 22nd in the Tour de Suisse. In addition, Santiago Buitrago, Jack Haig, and Torstein Traeen, among others, will probably have a bit more work to do.

Tiberi is not letting Caruso's absence distract him, he said in a short press release from his team. “I am here at the start with enormous motivation – I would even say an extra boost of motivation, given that the start is in Italy. It reminds me of the 2024 Giro, and I hope to finish this race just as well as I did last year in the Giro.”

"The Italian is not known as an attacking rider, but after the Tour of Poland, in which he finished second and four times in the top six," he said, he wants to race more attractively. He wants to continue that trend in the opening weekend of the Vuelta. “Here in Piedmont, already on day two, I've already picked out a stage that suits me well. I want to try something there,” he says, referring to the stage to Limone Piemonte.

“I'm here for the GC, so my focus will mainly be on that rather than chasing stage wins. But if the opportunity arises, I will try to attack,” Tiberi assures us. “I'm in good shape. My comeback in the Tour of Poland gave me both confidence and motivation, as well as clear signs that I can perform well. I have big ambitions, and my goal is the podium.”