Fortunato skips defence of King of the Mountains title at Giro
Having raced the Giro in each of the previous five seasons, the 29-year-old Italian will have a change of schedule this May.
Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana) will not defend his King of the Mountains title at the Giro d’Italia this May after the XDS Astana rider confirmed that he will not ride the Italian Grand Tour.
Fortunato, who is currently in Switzerland racing the Tour de Romandie, told SpazioCiclismo of the decision that he will not ride the Giro this season.
“Unfortunately, the Giro is not on the schedule this year,” Fortunato told SpazioCiclismo. “It is the first time in five years that I will not be participating.”
This marks the first time since making his debut in 2021 that Fortunato will not ride the Giro d’Italia. The 29-year-old enjoyed a spectacular debut at the race, winning a stage atop the Monte Zoncolan and finishing 16th overall.
With a career-best performance of 12th in 2024, as well as winning the mountains classification in 2025 and finishing 1-2 on a stage alongside teammate Christian Scaoni, Fortunato has left his mark on the race aplenty.
Ahead of Sunday’s final stage in Romandie, Fortunato sits 10th in the GC, 3:03 behind race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). After Romandie, the Italian is to resume racing at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (Criterium du Dauphine) in June.
“I have already ridden the Volta a Catalunya and Itzulia Basque Country, and after the Tour of Romandie, I will take a week of rest, after which I will appear at the start of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes,” explained Fortunato.
XDS Astana's provisional squad for the Giro includes Davide Ballerini, Alberto Bettiol, Arjen Livyns, Harold Martin López, Martin Malucelli, Christian Scaroni, Guillermo Thomas Silva and Diego Ulissi.
Make us your preferred source on Google
Stay closer than ever to the latest cycling news, interviews and analysis. Simply selecting Domestique as a Preferred Source can really help us grow, while making sure you see more of our stories in your news overview.
