How I won the Giro d'Italia, by Tao Geoghegan Hart
Oct 3, Stage 1: Monreale to Palermo, 15.1km time trial
Geoghegan Hart finishes 126th, two minutes and four seconds behind the leader
So much can happen in 3,500km and 21 days of racing. After crashing out of the 2019 Giro with a broken collarbone, I returned to the race this October at the end of a bizarre and difficult 2020 caused by Covid-19.
During the spring I had spent seven weeks in strict confinement with my girlfriend Hannah, dreaming of being able to race again whilst training inside every day. When the races finally arrived they flew by, opportunities slipping through my fingers and the pieces of the puzzle seemingly never quite fitting together.
Stage one was a time trial in Sicily and, in theory, a completely stress-free day. As a support rider I simply needed to finish safely. It was blowing a gale and the time trial course, overlooking Palermo, was taking the brunt of it. We rode the course in the morning and saw barriers flying into the road, with a few riders even crashing in what was simply their ‘practice lap’.
I rolled down the start ramp of the 103rd Giro d’Italia with no adrenaline — my race plan to ‘save energy’ and finish safely. I lost two minutes to my incredible team-mate Filippo Ganna (who we call ‘Top Ganna’) but I was happy — many other riders had crashed on a series of tricky turns, but within the team we had all stayed safe, won the stage and our leader, Geraint Thomas, had put time into all his key rivals. We enjoyed a glass of champagne that evening, toasting to the rest of the race.
Oct 5, Stage 3: Etna to Etna, 150km
Geoghegan Hart finishes 24th and moves up to 24th overall, 3.12 adrift
The day started in an unimaginable way as Geraint’s wheel was hit by a stray water bottle 300m into the neutral zone (think Formula One warm-up lap). He fell hard, right in front of me, laying motionless for what felt like an age. We stood there waiting, hoping he would be OK. Being the bloke he is, he was bandaged up and remounted, and without even a word on the crash we got on with the race. We approached it exactly as we had planned, riding as a unit around Geraint. Then, with about 30km remaining, he came on the radio to explain the pain was too much and he simply couldn't push with one leg.
The team quickly decided I should try to remain in the front, Swifty [Ben Swift] speaking clearly over the radio to that effect. It was the worst performance of my Giro as I went from feeling great, to awful, in the final 2km of the race. In hindsight, I hadn’t taken in enough calories during the chaos of the final few hours and ran out of energy. The morale was low on the bus that evening — we all knew Geraint’s race could likely be over, and that the goal we had all trained for might have been taken away before it had even really begun.
The following morning we found out that Geraint had ridden with a fracture in his pelvis, which says all you need to know about his dedication and drive. The day passed slowly, a flat sprint stage taking us to the city of Messina. I tried to speak to friends in the peloton to distract my mind. We finished the race, showered, and drove straight to the ferry. The bus was quiet.
Oct 7, Stage 5: Miletus to Camigliatello Silano, 225km
Geoghegan Hart finishes 19th and moves up to seventh overall, 34 secs adrift
‘Top Ganna’ wins again while I cross the line in disbelief. Just 10km earlier I had been on top of an hour-long climb, starting the descent in cloud so thick that we couldn't see where we were going. It was raining heavily and yet I felt completely warm. I was listening in my earpiece as our car willed on Filippo to an incredible solo victory. He had broken away early that morning and over 240km later had left them all behind.
Filippo burnt more than 7,500 calories that day and he had ripped up the script, riding aggressively and on the front foot. He forced us to believe in our Giro again. We had spoken that morning about what we wanted the ‘Grenadier spirit’ to be. He embodied it on that day. The bus was full of excitement again. Amazement even.
Oct 18, Stage 15: Base Area Rivolto to Piancavello, 185km
Geoghegan Hart wins the stage and moves up to fourth overall, 2.57 adrift
I spent the next nine stages biding my time while my team-mates went on the attack almost every day. After wins for Jonathan Narvaez and another for Filippo we suddenly had four stage victories and I had even moved myself into contention for a top-10 general classification finish.
Stage 15 was tough, up and down all day with technical descents and steep climbs. The final 12km climb was fast, with the Sunweb team whittling down the group very quickly, until there were only seven or eight riders left in contention. I felt great, and as they squeezed the pace, I was able to comfortably respond and look around to assess the situation. I remember Rohan Dennis, my team-mate, shouting encouragement as we swallowed up his solo bid for stage honours and then I focused on the wheel in front, starting to get a sniff of the finish with every passing metre.
With just 6km to go I was alone with two Sunweb riders, and it stayed this way until the last few hundred metres. I spent many of these moments thinking about Nico [Portal], our beloved sports director whom we tragically lost to a heart attack in March. I had been dreaming all year about winning a race in his honour. Now I dared to dream that I would have the chance. This thought willed me on.
Many people have asked me what I said to my rival Wilco Kelderman with 400m to go, as I turned to look at him. But I simply told him that it was his pink jersey to commit to and not hesitate for, knowing that he was chasing every second in order to distance the incumbent race leader, Joao Almeida.
The feeling of winning was incredible. All my emotion of the climb, the day and the entire race came out. The thoughts of Nico too. I shouted with delight alongside my staff at the finish. It felt like such a hugely significant step in my career, to have won a Grand Tour stage, and to have done it on top of such a difficult climb. That night I tried to respond to all the messages from family and friends, but at 10.30pm had to give up and head to bed. The next day was a rest-day, affording me the chance to continue absorbing the win, and get on top of my inbox!
Oct 22, Stage 18: Pinzola to Laghi da Cancano, 207km
Geoghegan Hart finishes second in the stage and moves up to third overall, 15 seconds adrift
This was the day my team blew the Giro to bits. Rohan and I summited the infamous Passo dello Stelvio, almost 2,800m above sea level, first and second in the race, before plummeting down the other side at breakneck speeds, the sides of the road lined with snow. It is an incredible road to race over, and one that I would highly recommend any cyclist to try, despite how tough it is!
We had turned a three-minute deficit into one of a matter of seconds. It was a position that we couldn't have dreamt of that morning, finding myself right in the running for the famous pink maglia rosa.
Oct 24, Stage 20: Alba to Sestriere, 190km
Geoghegan Hart wins the stage and is level on time with Jai Hindley in first place
We decided not to send any riders into the early breakaway and simply go all in on the slopes up to Sestriere. Sat behind the boys that day, I took in the amazing autumn leaves, the fans on the side of the road, and the fact I had five of the best riders in the world lined up in front of me, ready to give it their all. I saw how up for it they were, how much they believed in me, and I couldn't stop smiling.
It was an immense privilege to be in that position, watching the race unfold, almost a passenger in a story that was developing in front of my very eyes. In the end it was simply about legs, but in the last metres, as I sprinted for the stage win and time bonus that could decide the race, I also thought about doing it for them, after all that they had done for me.
Oct 25, Stage 21: Cernusco sul Naviglio to Milan, 15.7km time trial
Geoghegan Hart wins the Giro d’Italia by 39 seconds
The entire time trial I knew that I would see my girlfriend at the finish. Not that I had ever needed more motivation in my life for a race, but it really pushed me to the line, having not seen her in one month. As I crossed the line, she was there, the first person I saw and I gave her a kiss, or two. Then I sat on a curb, waiting for the confirmation that I had definitely won.
My team-mate Salva [Salvatore Puccio] has asked me a few times since the race if I realise what I have done. The Giro is incredibly special to Italians. He knows much better than I do of the significance of this race, that the humble bicycle, has in the country of Italy.
That morning of the final time trial I had turned off my phone, stuck some music on and forgot all about the bigger picture, of the deeper meaning. But now, sat at home, back in the UK for the first time in 10 months, I can start to see it all for what it is.
Sport can change lives, it can inspire, both young and old. It is an honour every time someone tells me how much they enjoyed the race, how exciting they found it to watch. I can only thank you all and ask you to get out on your bikes, or on foot, and make the most of that energy for life.
