Giro d'Italia 2008

Talking prior to the 2008 Giro d’Italia, Team Barloworld’s Mauricio Soler outlines his Giro ambitions. “People keep asking me who my rivals for overall victory are. I reply: I’ve first of all got to decide what kind of contender I can be". According to the team Soler never names an objective until he is confident he can reach it.

Soler has been working on his TT technique

Of course Mauricio is still remembered for his success in the 2007 Tour de France, when he won the stage to Briançon and won the climber’s polka dot jersey. It was a rare achievement for a first time Tour rider. “It’s difficult to compare the two races. People tell me the Giro is different to the Tour. The only way I’ve been able to judge the Giro d’Italia is from the mountain stages I’ve studied in the last few days. My first impression is that it’s a very hard race but that’s the way I like them”

This year’s Giro d’Italia starts with a team time trial and Soler is rapidly improving thanks to some hard work.

“There are four time trials in the Giro but they’re all different,” Solers explains. “The first one in Palermo is a team time trial. I’ve got a lot of faith in my team mates but I have to make sure I don’t let them down. The second time trial from Pesaro to Urbino is a classic and rather long time trial. The third is the mountain time trial to Plan de Corones and that’s the one I’m least worried about, while the last one is to Milan and so it might not be that important.”

Soler and the Team Barloworld staff have clearly studied the key stages of the Giro d’Italia and are ambitious: “My objective is to do well overall and win a stage. We’ll see what happens day by day but a place on the final podium would be great.” Soler says. He will also ride the Tour de France and so his season is long and hard. He faces a long summer in the saddle and with lots of roads to climb.