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The 2024 Giro d'Italia is now over and wow, what a memorable Giro it was. Not because the battle for overall honours was close – it really, really wasn't – but because of how easily Tadej Pogačar dispatched all and sundry on his way to winning his debut Giro by just shy of 10 minutes. There were of course some other fantastic performances throughout the race – Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan winning three sprint stages apiece, a whole bunch of breakaway stage winners – but the 2024 Giro will be remembered as the plaything of one Tadej Pogačar.
We previously wrapped up the first and second weeks of the race in photo galleries so let's put a bow on it today with a look back at the third and final week of the first (men's) Grand Tour of the season. These images come to you via Chris Auld (shooting for Gruber Images), Kristof Ramon, and, for the final stage, Cor Vos.
We pick up the action on stage 16 – the first day after the final rest day. It was a stage mired in controversy with riders and race organisers butting heads about what an appropriate stage looked like in freezing conditions in the mountains. The stage was shortened, but the conditions were still grim. Not grim enough to stop race leader Pogačar from going on the move though.There's probably a story here.Stage 16 was hard enough for the guys who enjoy going uphill. For those who'd had a joyless Giro, and were built for flatter finishes, it was an even tougher day.Five stage wins for Pogačar who extended his lead to beyond seven minutes.Revelation of the day was Giulio Pellizzari who took second, between GC leaders Pogačar and Dani Martínez. Note Pellizzari here lifting his jacket to show his race numbers to commissaires, as he might have had to do in the amateur ranks.In the following images: a series of dishevelled riders atop Monte Pana.After losing a bit of time on the stage, Geraint Thomas dropped from second overall to third, with Martínez moving into second.More mountains were on the menu on stage 17 ...... but at least the weather was friendlier for the riders ...... as they climbed and descended their way through the Dolomites. The weather wouldn't stay fine all day, though.Fan favourite Nairo Quintana would spend a bunch of time up the road on a day that was destined to be won from the breakaway. But first ...... some more shots of the remarkable scenery.Enhance!Georg Steinhauser was part of an early break and would get up the road on his own later.Rafał Majka has been brilliant in the mountains of the Giro for Pogačar.Ben O'Connor, en route to 12th on the stage, and another day in fourth overall.Twenty-two-year-old Steinhauser was on his way to a stage win in his first Grand Tour ....... as the peloton swept up what remained of the break.First Grand Tour, first pro victory.The win follows Steinhauser's third place on stage 15 where he looked very strong.A late surge from Pogačar saw the Slovenian put another 18 seconds into his "rivals" by the finish.Stage 18 brought with it more overcast skies and more rain.While a break got up the road, it was always going to be a day for the fastmen.Beautiful Padova was the destination for the day ...... and it was there that Merlier and Milan would do battle once more.It was Merlier who came up trumps in the bunch gallop ...... taking his second stage win to Milan's third.Fernando Gaviria probably wasn't all that thrilled about getting back into the mountains on stage 19.Passing riders shot from inside a courtyard: a series.Hell of a photo here from Chris Auld. Almost as impressive as Pogačar and his team's performance this Giro.It was a classic breakaway day at the Giro. Riders get away in the mountains, peloton lets them go, break dukes it out for the win. Among those up the road on this occasion: Andrea Vendrame.Former teammates Jhonatan Narvaez and Luke Plapp were there too, ultimately riding to fourth and fifth respectively. Behind them ...... Julian Alaphilippe was again up the road, this time riding to ninth.The day belonged to Vendrame, though, who got clear alone with 28 km still to race and won by nearly a minute.The GC leaders, meanwhile, had something of an easier day, rolling in nearly 16 minutes behind Vendrame.Onto the final mountain stage, then, with two ascents of Monte Grappa before a downhill run to the finish in Bassano del Grappa.Strong crowds came out to see the riders come through twice.UAE Team Emirates were again imperious riding in support of Pogačar ...... who went it alone with around 34 km still to race. Gotta do those training efforts before the Tour, right?The maglia rosa on his own has been a common sight these past three weeks.Pogačar's fellow GC men got settled into that familiar rhythm of doing the best they could, knowing there was nothing they could do to stop Pogačar.Antonio Tiberi ended up having an impressive Giro for Bahrain-Victorious, with seven top-10 results and a victory in the best young rider classification.Here's a housebound Jered Gruber shooting from his couch, capturing the moment on TV when Pogačar won his sixth stage of this year's Giro.More Gruberian stylings from the TV images.And so began the final, processional stage of this year's Giro, with UAE Team Emirates in special kit to signify their man's dominant victory.Beyond dominant.A classic Giro shot: the peloton racing past Il Colosseo en route to a sprint finish on the final stage in Rome.The most doomed of doomed breakaways.Another Merlier (left) vs Milan (right) contest for final honours ...... with Merlier evening up the ledger at three wins each on the final day.The final podium, with Martínez second at 9:56, and Thomas third at 10:24.And so, in his first Giro d'Italia, Pogačar won six stages, the general classification by nearly 10 minutes, and the KOM jersey. In 31 race days this year he already has 14 victories, and he's the favourite to win the Tour de France in July. If he can pull that off, he'll be the first man to do the Giro-Tour double since Marco Pantani in 1998. You wouldn't want to bet against him right now.
