In the early years of his career, Fabio Aru (Astana) seemed almost to have been hot-housed as a Grand Tour contender, racing only sparingly in the opening months of the season and spending large chunks of the spring cloistered away at training camps. As he returns to the Giro d`Italia in 2017 after misfiring on his Tour de France debut last July, Aru has made slight alterations to his traditional, low-key build-up. While the long stints of training at altitude remain in his future, Aru appears to be approaching the early part of his season with more immediate ambition than in years past. The Giro is the overriding objective, of course, but Aru was hardly going through the motions at this week`s Tour of Oman, where he placed third overall behind winner Ben Hermans (BMC Racing). A vigilant presence near the front every time the road went uphill, Aru held little back on the slopes of Green Mountain on Saturday afternoon, where he placed second, just behind Hermans. Though reputed as a particularly meticulous trainer, Aru admitted that it would have been impossible to replicate the same kind of intensity outside of a race situation.ADVERTISEMENT `No, absolutely not,` Aru told Cyclingnews on Matrah Corniche on Sunday. `A race is unique, I think. In training, you can`t make efforts of that intensity after three or four hours. Only races allow you to go at race rhythm, essentially.` Though the five-kilometre haul up Green Mountain whetted Aru`s competitive instincts, he betrayed little disappointment at being denied victory by Hermans. At this juncture in a season where the maglia rosa outweighs all else, the process is more important than the result. `Considering my objectives are a bit further along, it wasn`t my intention to come to this race in 100 percent condition,` Aru said. `This result is satisfying all the same, because I`ve put in a lot of work all through the winter. Obviously, I`ve got a busy year ahead, with a lot of big races in the coming months, a ...
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