Antonio Tiberi explains what it feels like to follow Pogacar and Evenepoel

The Bahrain Victorious rider has spent the winter fine tuning details, and the early return has been immediate. “I have great memories and great sensations,” he said to bici.pro. “I have never had a better feeling at the start of a season. I am really happy with how I feel.”

Some of the changes were simple, but steady. “My preparation changed a bit because I changed coach,” Tiberi explained. “I was also more precise with nutrition. I added some bodyweight work in the gym. On the bike the work is more or less the same, but maybe I was more consistent.”

In Valenciana, the real test came when the race narrowed to a duel with Remco Evenepoel. Tiberi stayed close longer than almost anyone, and he noticed the difference from previous seasons. “I had a good battle with Remco, who was extremely strong,” he said. 

“Compared to last year I was able to stay with him a little longer. Out of everyone, I was the one who held his wheel the longest.”

That idea, being the last to let go, has become a theme in Tiberi’s young career. At the Giro d’Italia in 2024 on the climb to Prati di Tivo, he was also the final rider to crack behind Tadej Pogacar. The sensations, he insists, were not the same.

“The first thing you notice behind Tadej is that the pace which for the rest of us is sustainable for a few minutes, he can hold for a long time,” Tiberi said. “He has an incredible ease of pedalling and resistance. On Prati di Tivo it was even more obvious because it was the finale and the speed was so high.”

People assumed he was staring at his computer when the effort peaked, but he says that was not the reality. “No, at least not me,” he said. “I remember looking down often and I was criticised because people said I was staring at my computer. In reality I was looking at his wheel. I was just trying to push, not think about anything else, to gather myself on the bike.”

Against Evenepoel, the pattern was sharper and more tactical, with repeated probes designed to break the rhythm. “After we were alone, every 50 or 100 metres he would look back to see if I was still there, and then he would make a five or six second acceleration,” Tiberi said. “He kept doing that until he dropped me.”

This week the 24-year-old Italian will face Evenepoel again in the UAE Tour which will run from February 16 till February 22. Read our preview for the race here.