ANALYSIS | Five things we’ve learned from the first nine stages of the Giro d’Italia 2025

After nine unpredictable, emotional, and at times chaotic stages, the second rest day of the Giro d’Italia 2025 has arrived, and not a moment too soon. Following Sunday’s spectacular gravel showdown in Tuscany, both riders and fans alike can catch their breath.

From dramatic crashes and mechanical mishaps to spectacular solo wins and unexpected jersey changes, the opening week of this year’s Giro has already delivered a Grand Tour full of twists. Here are five key lessons we’ve learned so far from the first grand tour of 2025.

Egan Bernal's performance on the gravel stage to Siena brought a sense of déjà vu. It was on a similar terrain back in 2021 that the Colombian surged to a memorable stage win and took the pink jersey, on his way to overall victory at the Giro that year. On Sunday, he rolled back the years again, attacking confidently and mixing it with the very best.

While Bernal couldn’t quite hold the wheel of eventual winner Wout van Aert and new race leader Isaac del Toro, he fought valiantly before being caught by the chasing GC group just six kilometres from the finish. It was a clear sign that the 28-year-old is as close to his pre-crash best as we’ve seen since that horrific 2022 training accident that nearly ended his career, and his life.

He may not be quite at the absolute peak of his powers yet, but he's not far off. With two weeks of racing still to come, Bernal is very much in the mix for the podium, and perhaps even more. His presence at the top level again is a win for the sport in itself.

Welcome back Egan.

Another gravel stage. Another Grand Tour. Another disaster for Primoz Roglic.

Stage 9 bore painful resemblance to his previous Grand Tour misfortunes: the cobbles of the 2022 Tour de France, the gravel of last year’s Tour, and now the white roads of Tuscany. On Sunday, Roglic crashed after an INEOS Grenadiers rider went down entering one of the sectors with 51km to go. He then suffered a puncture and was left chasing as the race exploded ahead.

The Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe leader finished nearly two and a half minutes behind Van Aert, conceding over a minute to Juan Ayuso. He dropped further down the GC standings, turning what had been a promising start into a significant setback.

But if anyone can turn it around, it’s Roglic. On Stage 2, he lost a time trial to Josh Tarling by just one second, showing he still has sharp legs, and he will be looking forward to the time trial on Tuesday. And we’ve seen this before: at last year’s Vuelta a España, he clawed back over five minutes to beat Ben O’Connor across three weeks of racing.

Roglic is a Grand Tour master. The real test begins now.

The gravel stage to Siena marked a major turning point in Wout van Aert’s season. After a frustrating start to 2025, with no wins and growing pressure from the Belgian media, Van Aert silenced critics with an emphatic and emotional victory.

His triumph on Stage 9, his 50th career win, was also his first at the Giro d’Italia, completing his collection of stage victories across all three Grand Tours. It also evoked memories of his 2018 Strade Bianche breakout ride and 2020 win on the same roads.

Van Aert has struggled with form since crashing out of the 2024 Vuelta a España and has found himself outshone by old rival Mathieu van der Poel in the spring classics. At the Giro, Mads Pedersen had taken the early spotlight with multiple stage wins, with Wout van Aert only really able to contest on stage 1.

But Sunday’s victory proved Van Aert is still capable of winning the biggest races on the hardest terrain. With his confidence restored, don’t rule out further wins in this Giro, or even a resurgence in July at the Tour de France.

Three stage wins in the opening five days. Time in the maglia rosa. A commanding presence on all terrain, including a strong showing on Sunday’s gravel stage.

Mads Pedersen has been electric at this Giro.

The former world champion may not have won a Monument this spring, but his consistency and raw strength have arguably placed him among the top six riders in the world right now. For years, Pedersen has hovered just outside the van Aert, van der Poel, Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel conversation, but not anymore.

Pedersen’s Giro participation was part of Lidl-Trek’s strategic decision to prioritise Jonathan Milan the Tour de France for July. But make no mistake, he’s making this Giro his own. And with two weeks left, more stage wins are certainly on the table.

When Tadej Pogacar is present, the pecking order is simple. But in his absence, UAE Team Emirates – XRG’s depth is becoming both a blessing and a challenge.

At the start of the Giro, the leadership question centred around Juan Ayuso and Adam Yates. But now, Isaac del Toro has entered the equation, and possibly taken control of it. The 21-year-old Mexican finished second on Stage 9 and moved into the overall race lead, now holding over a minute on Ayuso in second.

Brandon McNulty sits 8th, and Adam Yates 9th, both within two minutes of Del Toro.

The problem is clear: without Pogacar’s unifying presence, the team risks being pulled in different directions. Ayuso, who lost time on the final climb into Siena, has previously been presented as the future Grand Tour winner for UAE. Del Toro, meanwhile, was signed as a generational talent and now has the pink jersey on his back.

With three riders in the top 10, UAE could dominate the race, or implode if internal rivalry sets in. The next week will be decisive in determining whether they can establish a clear hierarchy, or whether the fight for leadership will play out on the road.