As the Giro d’Italia makes one of its less frequent incursions into the southernmost reaches of Italy for the next three days, locally born Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R Mondiale) says he will be making the most of it.
With the Giro usually finishing in the country’s north and the regions there consequently always featuring on the route, for the far south of Italy when it comes to hosting a Giro stage, it’s much more hit and miss. Furthermore, although outstanding favourite Vincenzo Nibali is from Sicily, the number of riders from the south there is relatively small in proportion to Italy’s north.
Pozzovivo, though, is another exception to this unwritten rule and one of the south’s top riders of recent years. Seventh in the Giro di Trentino (as he was in 2015), eighth in Oman and seventh in the Tour Down Under, the 33-year-old has had a steady, if winless, start to the year. Although last year’s terrible crash on stage three to Sestri Levante meant he regrettably barely featured in the 2015 Giro d’Italia, fifth overall in 2014, and three further top tens overall, stretching all the way through a mountainous stage win in 2012 to ninth on gc way back in 2008, all confirm Pozzovivo’s longstanding relationship with the race.
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In fact, it goes back much further. Pozzovivo's first memory of the Giro dates back from 1987 or so, when the Giro passed through his Basilicata region. “My first memory of the race is actually when I was five years old or so,” Pozzovivo told Cyclingnews, “I was with my father on our farm and we were waiting for the Giro to come past on the big ‘A’ road near the farm. It was the first time I saw it, so it was something very special for me.”
Fast forward 28 years and that’s still very much the case. “Racing in the south is a very special moment and as my home, it’s very important to be here with the Giro. It’s been great to be in the Netherlands with so many fans, but Italy is another story altogether.
“Normally the people are very keen to see the race in the south, they all come out of their houses, they are on the roadside and very enthusiastic about it. It’s not every year that we have it on our roads here, so when it comes they are very happy.”
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