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Monday May 6, 2024 at 7:29 AM
Interview For Fabio Jakobsen, the Giro d’Italia actually only starts on the third day, when the first sprint opportunity awaits. The difficult opening weekend around Turin was all about survival for the leader of DSM-firmenich PostNL. He said the day before the Giro that Jakobsen and his lead-out Tobias Lund Andresen traveled to Italy with confidence: “The Tour of Turkey cannot be compared to the Giro, but the fact that we dominated that round so much shows that we are on the be the right way.”
After winning the Vuelta a España twice (five stage wins and the points jersey in 2021) and the Tour de France twice (one stage win), it is now time for Jakobsen’s Giro debut. “As a sprinter you want to have ridden the Giro one day. It is an iconic race and, according to several fellow riders, the most beautiful grand tour. Italy is cycling, and I would like to experience that,” he said at the press conference CyclingFlits also at laundry. “In recent years I have ridden more spring races and the Giro is too close to that. This year we reduced that a bit, so that I could prepare well for this month of May.”
Jakobsen calls the spring ‘not a dream start’, but in the Tour of Turkey it finally happened. For him it was only one stage victory, while his teammate and lead-out Tobias Lund Andresen took his chance and won three stages. “The feeling is very good,” Jakobsen reflects. “The preparation went well, but of course the Tour of Turkey is not the Giro. We have a lot of confidence, we know that as a team we belong in the Giro and I hope that Turkey has ensured that I have taken that next step in terms of my level of form.”
The competition is stiff. In addition to Jakobsen, many eyes are also focused on Olav Kooij, Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan. Not surprising, because with rose-colored glasses on there are perhaps eight or nine chances for the sprinters. “Here in the Giro it is certainly possible to win stages. And if there are several competitors, those victories count even more. The top 10 will always look good and a victory really counts,” says the sprinter from Heukelum. “And I am confident that we can set up a good train.”
Andresen and Jakobsen created a one-two in a stage in Turkey – photo: Cor Vos
‘Tobias Lund Andresen is really a winner, he has shown that’
Tobias Lund Andresen, his name has already been mentioned. The Dane is only 21 years old and made his breakthrough with a hat-trick in Turkey. Initially he will ride the Giro as a pacesetter for Jakobsen. “Tobi“, the team and I still want to see what he can do and how he can grow even further,” the Dutchman is curious. “He is 10 kilograms lighter than me, so he will survive more finals. When I am released, he will get a chance and he can show himself. That’s good for him.”
“As a lead-out he is very fast and valuable, especially in pure sprints when it comes to high top speed and power for me,” says Jakobsen. “He himself is really a winner, he showed that with three victories. And if I can’t stay in the pack, he can step up. He is still young and still has to discover himself, but the team also has to discover him. That’s a win-win situation. At Soudal Quick-Step I also rode with riders who could win themselves, I think Florian Sénéchal is a good example. So if all the stars are right, Tobias also gets a chance to win a stage.”
‘Finals are getting busier, but responsibility lies with a safe course’
Later this year, Jakobsen will turn 28, so we can now call him experienced. According to him, the fact that such a strong field of sprinters starts in this Giro is not only due to the toughness of the upcoming Tour de France. “Sprinters are worth more these days. Many teams want to take a sprinter and a train to competitions. In sprints, success is there for the taking, provided the sprinter is in shape,” he knows.
“In this Giro there are several opportunities for bunch sprints, and I see that the number of sprinters who can win such stages is also growing. […] Because there are more sprinters, the stage victories become more valuable. This shows that sprinters are appreciated by teams, sponsors and the media. It is good for the sport that there is such a fight,” he continues. “That also means that the finals will be busier.”
Jakobsen does not see a problem with that. “Finals are always busy, because we ride with almost 200 riders in the peloton. Looking at safety, I don’t think the number of riders is the problem, because there will always be a group of forty or fifty riders fighting for the first twenty places. The greatest responsibility lies in creating the safest possible course and a safe finale, so that riders do not have to take crazy risks through bends, road narrows or traffic furniture. By looking carefully at the course design, we can prevent dangerous situations.”
