Political concerns, stalled negotiations and presence of stars - Why the Giro d'Italia's Albanian start remains at risk

It is not often that we see a Grand Tour start in a specific nation for the first time, and we may see this happen in 2025 with the Giro d'Italia. Everything indicated a Grande Partenza in Albania but the presentation was delayed and there is a very complex situation unfolding behind the scenes which puts it at risk.

Initially, the route presentation was scheduled for the 12th of November, a week ago exactly today, but it was postponed without giving a specific reason. This was to the displeasing of many Italian journalists who looked to make the trip and ended up with tickets they could not refund. This will be rescheduled for early January but a date has not yet been confirmed - although it has been said that teams and riders will be able to see the route beforehand (or at least a great part of it) before the presentation, so they can plan out their season properly. 

What is happening behind the scenes right now ends up being a complex issue that looks unresolved. Initially, it had been reported that the delay was due to concerns about the road quality outside the capital of Tirana and financial disagreements. The start would be three stages in the eastern European nation. The value expected to be payed to the Giro was of €7 million for this Grande Partenza, but seemingly the country is now not looking to pay the same amount, but a lower amount due to the negative commentary it is getting from the Italian media - which grows further due to the presentation's delay. This barrier reportedly has not yet been overcome.

Several reports are circling around Italia media that suggest different issues such as the organizers' fear over political backlash as was the case when the race started in Israel back in 2018 and also the lack of certainty of the 'big stars' that could be present at the start. The presence of these riders have a big impact on the organizers' finances (start fees are expected, in values high enough to convince riders to race the Corsa Rosa) but from Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel none of them have confirmed high interest or intention of racing the first Grand Tour of the season.