Fabio Aru laughed out loud when it was pointed out that he could be the only big-name rival to Chris Froome at the 2018 Giro d’Italia. He seemed slightly scared by the idea of taking on Froome and Team Sky but insisted that Froome’s presence will only make the Giro d’Italia a better, more spectacular race.
Aru and his new UAE-Team Emirates squad are expected to confirm the Giro d’Italia as the focus of his season, with fellow new Grand Tour leader Dan Martin likely to focus on the Tour de France.
Froome’s presence at the Giro d’Italia could dissuade other riders from heading to Italy and convince them they may have a better chance of winning the Tour de France as Froome goes for the double. Tom Dumoulin has put off revealing his plans until the Team Sunweb presentation in early January, while Vincenzo Nibali seemed nonplussed. Davide Formolo (Bora-Hansgrohe), Esteban Chaves (Orica-Scott) and Louis Meintjes (Dimension Data) are expected to ride the Giro d’Italia, but Froome and Aru could be the only previous Grand Tour winners to line up in Israel for the race.
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La Gazzetta dello Sport recently quoted Aru as saying he is ‘putting everything on the Giro’ and he did not shy away from the fight.
“Froome is a great rider but the Giro d’Italia is a big race, it’s about more than one rider. I think it’s good he’s riding, his presence makes the Giro d’Italia an even bigger race. It’s always spectacular but will be even more so now,” Aru told Cyclingnews.
Froome was absent when Aru won the 2015 Vuelta a Espana. His best performance against the Briton at the Tour de France was his fifth place this year, but he finished second to Alberto Contador in the 2015 Giro d’Italia and was third behind Nairo Quintana and Rigoberto Uran in 2014. Froome rode the Giro d’Italia in 2009 and 2010, but that was before he developed into a Grand Tour winner.
The Giro d'Italia route
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