What if Martínez had been on Pogacar's wheel? "Maybe the Giro is kind of done now"

They hadn't expected Pogacar to dominate the fifteenth stage to Livigno as he did. Nevertheless, Gasparotto shows nothing but respect when asked about the Slovenian. "What more can we say? Tadej is a phenomenon, as there are in every generation of this sport. Comparisons are pointless. Pogacar is a unique rider."

Could things have been different if Martínez had been right on Pogacar's wheel during the attack in stage fifteen? The Colombian looked very strong and for a long time was just a small gap behind the pink jersey... "Unfortunately, Dani wasn't on Tadej's wheel, which left him a few seconds behind after his attack. When he got stuck there, we called him back. AG2R and INEOS both still had two riders and there was some wind and it was not very steep anymore. We told him to focus on the finale," said Gasparotto.

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Martínez obediently dropped back and climbed alongside the other general classification riders. Romain Bardet was allowed to go ahead, the focus was now on Geraint Thomas (INEOS) and Ben O'Connor (AG2R), the second and fourth in the standings. "The time trials are over, now only mountain stages remain. Dani is in good shape, so we want to attack Geraint and Ben and also aim for a stage victory. Thomas and O'Connor have strong teams around them, but it will be a major battle among the leaders. It's going to be so tough, I don't expect many domestiques," he explains.

Martínez agrees that a podium finish in Rome remains his big goal. "Of course I'm tired, but I feel good and am motivated for the last week. It's always the toughest week of the Giro and everyone is tired. I'm glad I still feel this good. Every stage will be important, with the penultimate one – featuring two ascents of Monte Grappa – perhaps being the toughest of this grand tour. Climbing such a tough mountain for an hour and a half, twice, I definitely want to be at my best."

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Will this be an interesting battle, or not so much? BORA-hansgrohe is not planning to risk everything, for example by joining a breakaway. "With this Pogacar and his team, it's very difficult to do anything else. They've controlled everything so far, so maybe the Giro is kind of done now. Now the fight for the second and third place begins. I've worked hard to finish on the podium," says Martínez.

Gasparotto supports him but keeps an opening for an interesting attack. "Dani is here to get the most out of it. What that will be, we'll know in Rome. He's sacrificed everything to be good here, so we definitely want to still achieve something. When it comes to a stage victory, he's also our best chance. The team will support him in the third week, although it will be tough with Pogacar there. He has a strong team, but maybe there will be other scenarios. We'll have to adapt to the race situation."