ANALYSIS | What are some of the best Giro d’Italia moments of recent years? Featuring Froome, Cavendish and Pogacar

The Giro d’Italia has delivered some of the most dramatic and emotional moments in recent cycling history. From historic solo rides to poetic acts of friendship, the race has been a showcase of what we love about the sport. Here, we look back at some of the most memorable moments of recent editions, featuring the likes of Tadej Pogacar, Chris Froome, Primoz Roglic, Jai Hindley, Mark Cavendish and Egan Bernal.

Let’s take a closer look.

2024 was the year of Tadej Pogacar, and it all started with his dominant debut at the Giro d’Italia. The Slovenian sensation claimed six stage wins and the overall classification, taking his first pink jersey with an astonishing margin of nearly 10 minutes. The highlight came on stage 15, the Queen Stage, a brutal 222-kilometre slog with 5,751 metres of climbing. Yes, over 5,500!

Featuring the Colle di San Zeno (13.7 km at 6.7%), the infamous Passo del Mortirolo (12.8 km at 7.6%) and the Passo di Foscagno (14.6 km at 6.3%), the stage finished in the high-altitude town of Livigno. On the penultimate climb, Pogacar left the GC group behind on the Foscagno, powering past the remnants of the breakaway, including solo leader Nairo Quintana, whom he overtook just 2km from the finish.

Pogacar crossed the line 29 seconds ahead of Quintana, with Georg Steinhauser third at 2:32. It would be another 2:50 before the remaining GC contenders finished. It was a statement of supremacy from a rider who made the Giro his playground.

Of course, 2024 turned into the year of Pogacar, as he went on to not only win the Giro, but the Tour de France and the World Championship as well. Where does this win on stage 15 of the Giro rank amongst his best wins?

The 2023 edition produced one of the most gripping conclusions in recent memory. Heading into the final competitive day, Geraint Thomas appeared poised to secure his first Giro title. But Primoz Roglic had other ideas.

The Slovenian pulled off a remarkable performance in the stage 20 mountain time trial, overturning a 26-second deficit to win the stage by 40 seconds and take a 14-second lead into Rome. He did so despite suffering a mechanical mishap, with his chain slipping on the climb. It could have been another tale of bad luck for Roglic, who infamously lost the 2020 Tour de France to Pogacar in a similar late time trial, but this time, fate smiled on him.

It was a moment of redemption. Roglic had lost the 2020 Tour on La Planche des Belles Filles after going into the stage with a 57-second lead over Pogacar. In 2023, he flipped the script and claimed his first maglia rosa.

Roglic his back at the race in 2025, can he add a second pink jersey to his collection?

A day later, in one of the most touching moments of sportsmanship in recent cycling history, Geraint Thomas made headlines for a different reason. After his own hopes of victory had been dashed, Thomas helped long-time friend Mark Cavendish to a fairytale stage win in Rome.

Thomas paced Cavendish through the second-last kilometre, ensuring he was in perfect position to sprint for victory. “I asked him half seriously, half jokingly: wouldn't it be nice to do the lead out for me. And suddenly he yelled: Cav! And he did,” said Cavendish to Het Nieuwsblad after an epic conclusion.

The Manxman sprinted to his 17th career Giro stage win, a perfect ending to his final appearance at the race. “This will forever be a very special victory. The picture is perfect,” Cavendish said.

The 2022 Giro d’Italia delivered Australia its first-ever pink jersey winner. Jai Hindley, having narrowly missed out in 2020, returned stronger and more assured than ever before.

Heading into stage 20, Carapaz led Hindley by three seconds. But on the final mountainous day, a 167-kilometre stage from Belluno to Marmolada, Hindley turned the tables. As Alessandro Covi took the stage win, Hindley dropped Carapaz on the final climb and built a lead of 1 minute and 25 seconds.

It was enough to take the maglia rosa into the final day’s time trial, which Hindley successfully defended to secure a historic victory. Hindley is another rider who returns to the race in 2025, this time in support of Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe teammate Primoz Roglic.

Egan Bernal reminded the world of his class in the 2021 Giro. The 2019 Tour de France champion took his first-ever Grand Tour stage win on stage 9 with a swashbuckling ride on the gravel climb to Campo Felice.

It was a stage full of drama: seven climbs, 3,400 metres of climbing, and a final ascent up a ski slope, the Pista dello Scorpione, still snowy just weeks earlier. Rain and dirt turned the finale into a spectacle. Inside the last kilometre, Bernal surged past breakaway riders Koen Bouwman and Geoffrey Bouchard with such force that Bouwman flinched and veered across the road.

Bernal won by seven seconds over Giulio Ciccone, moving into the pink jersey. It was a dazzling show of strength that ultimately propelled him to overall victory. Bernal gapped his rivals so quickly that day, he actually did not know where he had won!

With Bernal now back in 2025, many wonder if he can recapture the magic and challenge for pink once more.

One of the most remarkable Giro d’Italia victories of modern times came in 2018, when Chris Froome launched an audacious long-range attack on stage 19 to overturn a three-minute deficit and seize the pink jersey.

With just three competitive days remaining, Froome sat in fourth place, over three minutes behind leader Simon Yates. On the brutal 184km stage from Venaria Reale to Bardonecchia, featuring three major climbs including the Colle delle Finestre, Froome attacked with 80km to go.

“I knew there was a long descent off the Finestre and an uphill drag to the finish. I said to the guys, ‘Let’s go. I’m going to go early today.’ I knew it was all or nothing,” Froome told the microphones after the race.

The Team Sky rider soloed to victory, finishing over three minutes ahead of his rivals. Simon Yates, who had dominated much of the race, cracked spectacularly and lost over half an hour.

Froome’s gamble paid off. “It was just one of those days where everything clicked,” he said. “I said to the guys, ‘I’ve got 80 kilometres, I’m going to ride.’” He became the first Briton to win the Giro and joined an elite club of riders to hold all three Grand Tour titles simultaneously, having won the Tour de France and Vuelta a España in 2017.

So there you have it, some of our favourite moments from the Giro d’Italia in recent years. Have we missed any personal favourites of yours? If so let us know down below!

Remember, the Giro d’Italia gets underway this Friday, May 9th. Primoz Roglic will be the favourite for the pink jersey, but Juan Ayuso may also want to get involved. Then there’s the likes of Tom Pidcock, Wout van Aert and Mads Pedersen will be looking to light up the race throughout and battle for stage wins. You won’t want to miss a thing of this one!