AG2R La Mondiale’s diminutive Italian, Domenico Pozzovivo may be just what the doctor ordered for next week’s Tour Down Under

AG2R La Mondiale’s diminutive Italian, Domenico Pozzovivo may be just what the doctor ordered for next week’s Santos Tour Down Under.

CYCLING - Tour Down Under. Ag2r rider - Domenico Pozzovivo in the Tour village. Photo Sarah Reed.

AG2R La Mondiale’s diminutive Italian, Domenico Pozzovivo may be just what the doctor ordered for next week’s Santos Tour Down Under.

Pozzovivo, 32, is a Tour Down Under dark horse who is capable of upstaging the huge Australian contingent in the peloton, which boasts new national road champion Jack Bobridge (Trek-Segafredo), national time trial champion Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing) and runner up Richie Porte (BMC Racing).

The Italian spent 10 days in Valencia, Spain training hard with his French team, then headed to train solo at Tenerife before landing in Adelaide at the weekend.

Pozzovivo who is 165cm and a climbing specialist targeted a top 10 finish in his first Tour Down Under last year before delivering sixth place for his team.

“I really enjoyed the race last year and I wanted to return because I love the heat in general,’’ Pozzovivo said.

“The race is right and I think it’s a race which is not too hard for the start of the season with a high level of racing.

“It’s organised really well without too much stress and no (hotel) transfers.

“This year I want to start the season with the same idea as last year’s Tour Down Under.

“I know the race a little better and I have a small advantage because of that.

“It’s not really a perfect race for me but being among the top five for the general classification would be a good result.”

Known as “the doctor” among the peloton after gaining a degree in economics and writing a thesis, the Policoro-born Italian is also regarded as one of two treasures of his hometown, alongside Juventus forward Simone Zaza who also was born in the Basilicata province in southern Italy.

“Zaza is more famous than me because he plays for Juve,’’ Pozzovivo said.

“But I’m well known too in the region and it makes me proud.”

Pozzovivo revealed that his family invested in his talent when he was a teenager so he could have a real shot at becoming a professional cyclist.

He said Australia’s Allan Davis — a 2009 Tour Down Under champion who has since retired — inspired him to get to the top when the Queenslander claimed the Tour of Basilicata.

“It was Davis’s win in Basilicata that really made me take notice of the sport,’’ Pozzovivo said.

“From there I started to train harder for the sport ... and my father made so many sacrifices because most of the races were all in northern Italy.

“I used to fly to Torino every Saturday (1100km distance from Policoro) and come back home on Sundays and went back to school on Mondays, but after I finished school I shifted north (Italy).”

Pozzovivo participated at last year’s Vuelta a Espana after a nasty crash at the Giro d’Italia sidelined the affable Italian for a month.

Originally published as AG2R La Mondiale’s diminutive Italian, Domenico Pozzovivo may be just what the doctor ordered for next week’s Tour Down Under