ANALYSIS | Who will be the star of the Giro d’Italia 2025?

The countdown is nearly over. On May 9th, the 108th Giro d’Italia gets underway, and with it, the battle for the maglia rosa. Tadej Pogacar may be absent, but this year’s start list is stacked with talent. From seasoned Grand Tour winners to riders seeking redemption and breakthrough moments, the 2025 Giro is wide open. So, who will rise to become the star of this year’s race?

At 35 years old, Primoz Roglic remains one of the most fearsome GC riders in the world. A four-time Vuelta a España winner and the 2023 Giro champion, Roglic knows exactly how to manage a three-week race. Two years ago, he wrestled pink from Geraint Thomas on the final day time trial in dramatic fashion.

Now riding for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, Roglic has taken a measured build-up to the Giro. He started his year quietly with eighth at the Volta ao Algarve, before showing glimpses of his vintage form at the Volta a Catalunya. There, he went toe-to-toe with Juan Ayuso, exchanging stage wins before sealing overall victory with a 20km solo attack on the final day in Barcelona.

If Roglic brings that same aggression and form to Italy, and avoids the crashes that have so often interrupted his Grand Tour campaigns, he’ll be the man to beat.

Juan Ayuso finally has the chance to lead UAE Team Emirates – XRG without the looming presence of Tadej Pogacar. The 22-year-old Spaniard has long been touted as a future Grand Tour winner, and 2025 might just be the year he delivers. Ayuso will be co-leading UAE alongside Adam Yates, and they have (as always) an incredibly strong team.

After a disappointing 2024, where illness forced him to abandon his debut Tour de France, Ayuso has bounced back strongly. He won Tirreno–Adriatico in dominant fashion and was runner-up to Roglic at Volta a Catalunya, matching the Slovenian up until the final day of the race.

With podium finishes at the Vuelta already under his belt, Ayuso arrives in Italy with growing confidence. If his form continues, he could be Roglic’s biggest threat.

Few riders in the peloton boast a skillset as diverse as Tom Pidcock. The Olympic mountain bike champion and former cyclo-cross world champion is making his Giro debut, and it comes as part of a major career reset.

After a difficult 2024 with INEOS Grenadiers, Pidcock made the bold move to join ProTeam outfit Q36.5. It raised eyebrows, but the switch may have come at the perfect time. With full leadership duties, fewer expectations, and a Giro route suited to his style, the Yorkshireman has a real opportunity to shine.

“I believe the whole team is going with a mission to show ourselves as Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team,” he said in a team press release. “For me personally I come with high ambitions and with the form I’ve carried from the Ardennes I know the legs will be there. Of course, there are many opportunities, but we are going to plan well and pick our moments.”

This Giro could be Pidcock’s moment to remind the cycling world of his brilliance.

For Wout van Aert, 2025 has been a season of recovery so far. After missing most of 2024 due to two separate crashes, first at Dwars door Vlaanderen and later at the Vuelta a España, the Belgian has yet to hit top form.

His spring results were modest by his own high standards: fourth at both Flanders and Roubaix, with sprint losses to Remco Evenepoel and Neilson Powless at Dwars door and Amstel Gold Race. Inevitably, the Belgian media have questioned whether Van Aert is on the decline.

But context is key. Few riders can return from such a disrupted year and immediately challenge the best. This Giro is Van Aert’s first, and perhaps his best, chance to complete the Grand Tour stage win hat-trick, having already won at both the Tour and the Vuelta.

With a reduced GC focus for Visma, Van Aert has freedom to hunt stages, and the class to take them. Let’s hope we see vintage Van Aert, and potentially some time in pink.

Lidl–Trek’s Mads Pedersen has emerged as one of the most complete riders in the world. While known for his sprint and classics pedigree, Pedersen has shown surprising climbing strength in 2025, especially at Paris–Nice. A podium at both Flanders and Roubaix has underlined his consistency, even if that elusive Monument win still escapes him.

Pedersen comes to the Giro not as a second-choice, but because the team has earmarked Jonathan Milan for the Tour de France. That frees Pedersen to chase stage victories in a race that suits him. With a versatile route and several punchy or reduced sprint finishes, the Dane could well add multiple stages to his palmarès.