After 9 stages the Giro d'Italia has gained form. The overall contenders finally showed their true guns in the past few days, the contenders for victory and the podium became more clear, but now everything has been turned on it's head with the abandon of Remco Evenepoel with Covid-19.
An infection that could've hardly come at a worst time. Maybe if it happened later in the race and he was in the lead it'd be an even bigger anti-climax, however it is nevertheless a tough hit to take as a cycling fan. Why? The Giro now feels incomplete. Writing just hours after learning of his infection always has a different tone than it would otherwise the next day, and the same would be true for the next week.
The sense of being incomplete comes from the fact that this was the story everyone was ready for. Maybe not the most exciting for some, I know I can say that, as it feels that throughout the whole year the Giro was only going to be battled between him and Primoz Roglic, but the battle was clearly not going to be between two riders judging by the opening race of the week.
Besides being disappointed to see riders who devoted months of preparation towards a goal leave just like that, it's the missed opportunity of seeing him ride what he set out to. This was to be his only Grand Tour of 2023 and so his Grand Tour calendar may simply be interrupted for a whole year if he decides to continue with the progression and return next year. Whatever the result was, seeing how well he would ride the Giro and if he could take the victory was without a doubt one of the biggest plots of the year.
His battle with Roglic, was ended prematurely last year at the Vuelta as the Slovenian crashed, now ends prematurely once again. Whoever wins the Giro at the end of the three weeks will sadly have questions put on him such as "would you have won if Evenepoel was here" which won't ever be pleasant. It's the reality however, as after 9 days of racing he led the race.
Soudal - Quick-Step too are left without a mark. They have built the whole team around Evenepoel, and now will be left to redirection everything. The team will certainly not do the same towards the Tour de France, it's unlikely that he races it this summer because the route is in no way suited to his skills, and the goal will be to hunt stage wins with the likes of Julian Alaphilippe, the classics riders and the sprinter (which may be either Fabio Jakobsen or Tim Merlier).
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I have to say that although I have a hard time seeing it, it isn't impossible that after some rest he now returns to training and heads to the Tour with less pressure. He would not have real support in the mountains - although that hasn't stopped for example Tadej Pogacar winning in 2020, probably not the ideal preparation, but he would gain experience for a future attempt which is certain.
The World Championships will definitely be a goal, and he could use the Tour to build his form up - and use that argument so as to shift pressure. It is possible that he rides the Worlds and then return to the Vuelta a Espana where he is the reigning champion, although I am not too sure if he'd be fond of that plan. Most likely he races the Tour, or he accepts the loss and continues with his initial schedule to focus on the Worlds and Il Lombardia.
As for the racing to come at the Giro, it meaningfully changes it. It's no longer Evenepoel versus Roglic, and the rest... It's INEOS vs Roglic, with João Almeida more of a card for the win now as well. INEOS have been racing to control, and now without Evenepoel in the lead and to attack, the British team may try to deploy their Tour of the Alps tactics and keep Roglic on a leash.
Geraint Thomas is the new pink jersey, however only 2 seconds ahead of Roglic. Unless he or Tao Geoghegan Hart are able to deal a blow, the controlling tactics may not be too effective as with bonifications alone the Slovenian can take over. However if Roglic takes over the lead, a Covid-blown Jumbo-Visma will have a seriously hard time controlling things if INEOS decide to attack.
I don't think they want to, but in my opinion it would be the most efficient tactics. Pavel Sivakov, Thymen Arensman and Laurens de Plus are in the Top13 and with less than 3 minutes behind Thomas. They have depth and they can use it, being in the lead of the race does not mean they must stay in the front and pace. After stage 13 this will be harder because huge gaps will emerge. Then the later they try to use it to put pressure on Jumbo and Roglic the less likely it is to be effective.
Those 3 can however later on join breakaways to which they can then be bridged across however. They will also be able to support and pace the leaders if Roglic is to have a less good day soon. But now a lot comes down to what INEOS choose to do. Jumbo have Sepp Kuss, but otherwise a very modest team. UAE have Jay Vine and Brandon McNulty but they aren't exactly racing for a common goal but instead doing their own thing.
Others could still emerge in the fight for the top places, but those four riders begin to stand apart. The brutal mountains, altitude and possible bad weather can, as I've often said, change the race in several different days which are just gruesome in terms of difficulty. Consistency will be key. The Giro changes tonight and everyone will begin to think of new tactics now that the one many considered 'the man to beat' is out of the race.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
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World Champion and #Giro maglia rosa @EvenepoelRemco is out of the race after testing positive to Covid-19.
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