Valerio Conti: I can't wait to build on UAE Team Emirates' Tour de France triumph

In this week's column, the Italian cyclist looks forward to heading home for the Giro d’Italia

Valerio Conti is relishing heading to Italy. Luca Bettini/BettiniPhoto©2020

My favourite race of the year is just around the corner and I can’t wait to return home and build on the amazing momentum the team has from winning the Tour de France.

The Giro d’Italia has always been special to me as I get to head back to Italy and race in front of my own fans, friends and family. It will obviously be a little different this year with less spectators, but I am more motivated than ever to do well.

The Giro is well known for its long, high mountain stages in the Alps and Dolomites and, just like the Tour de France, spread over 21 gruelling stages.

We will start in Monreale on Saturday with a strong team and look to be as competitive as possible. Personally, I look forward to the hilly stages and climbs the most as they are well suited to my size and attributes. Being agile and using my savvy should help me in these stages.

This year we will face three-time trials, including one on the final day in Milan which could make a big difference in the GC standings, just like we saw in the Tour de France with Tadej Pogacar and Primoz Roglic.
My memories of the Giro are very satisfying and it always make me smile when thinking about it.

Last year I put in one of my most memorable performances since joining UAE Team Emirates and I hope to do the same this time. I managed to keep hold of the revered pink jersey for six days in some really tough weather.

It was not easy to keep the pink jersey for that long and it was a big achievement for the entire team at the time. Every stage is hard, so we had to be ready at our best every single day. Everything was thoroughly well-planned, and we got our tactics spot on. I think we took everyone by surprise - something that may not be the case this year.

After Tadej’s Tour de France win, teams will now be looking at us as one of the main teams to beat. The experience we gained last year puts us in good stead for the race and I feel prepared to do well.

Funnily enough, it was my teammate Jan Polanc who rose to the top of the GC and took the pink jersey from me last year and kept it for a further two days. I was of course delighted for Jan as he has done a lot of work for me in the past and I hope we can work together this year to bring the Maglia Rosa home.

I had a wonderful race last year but was I unfortunately forced to abandon early because of an injury that hampered my pedalling. This is not how I want my Giro to end. I will always remember the days I spent in pink and they will motivate me to go even further.

My goal this year is to help the team, to win stages and wear the pink jersey again. It has been a somewhat different year because of Covid but I am ecstatic the team did well during this year’s Tour the France.

It’s incredible to think that the team is only three years old and we’ve already got a Tour de France win under our belts. The future is very bright and we’re all very excited to be a part of such an incredible project.

Hopefully we can bring that team spirit to Italy. I am super proud of Pogacar, he was unstoppable during the Tour and I hope I can show my family and fans the same at the Giro.
We know it will be a difficult tour this year. We have a strict calendar with lots of races in a short time. I want to thank the team that has become a family. I have special gratitude for them; they have faith in me, and I will do my best.