PREVIEW | Giro d'Italia 2025 - Roglic vs Ayuso for pink; Van Aert and Pedersen for ciclamino; and 21 days of good racing ahead

From the 9th of May to the 1st of June, the world of cycling will be glued to the screens for the first Grand Tour of the season: the Giro d'Italia. From Albania to a mini Strade-Bianche to the high Alps, the race will provide spectacle in all kinds of terrains. We preview the race ahead.

The route will feature it's traditional 21 stages, the first 3 of which in the eastern European nation. From there on there is a small across-the-sea journey back to Italy, where the route will slowly move north through the west coast via cities like Napoli, Siena and Pisa. In the Alps the race will be decided with a combination of mountain stages of different styles, featuring explosive days, long mountains and also high altitude.

The first stage of the race will take place between Durazzo and Tirana. There will be three categorized climbs, one long one in the middle of the stage and two ascents of the Surrel ascent. There will then be a downhill into the finish, a day that could potentially see many different riders succeed.

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The second day of the race will be an individual time-trial and an interesting one. 13.7 kilometers in distance and it will not be flat, as in the city of Tirana there will be an explosive ascent halfway through.

Stage 3 is another very open day. The first half of the stage is not too difficult but there are some hard climbs on the second half that may see some GC fighting, a breakaway battle, outsider attacks or some sprinter teams trying to control the peloton as best as possible.

The race returns to the mainland through Alberobello with the first pure day for the sprinters. No major difficulties into Lecce and the sprinters will with no doubt be in the spotlight on this day.

A short stage with a very interesting finale, where in true Giro form, the organizers leave way for multiple scenarios. The finale into Matera is slightly uphill and comes after a few hills. We could have a reduced bunch sprint or a late attack succeeding here.

Satge 6 will finish in Napoli, following the success of recent years. However, after a few hilly stages, there is a more flat approach this time around. The stage will be long, 210 kilometers in total, but the fast men have no difficulties in the final kilometers to stop them.

Stage 7 will feature the first summit finish of the race. In the Appeninnes, the riders take off and immediately start climbing. It's not a brutal day, but it will be important to test the form of the pink jersey contenders. The riders will be saving their leggs until the final ascent to Tagliacozzo which will be just over 12 kilometers long at 5.5%. However, the final 2 kilometers average 10% and will be quite difficult. If riders do not have their best form they risk losing meaningful time and entering the key days already with a lot of pressure on their shoulders.

Stage 8 is a true Giro classic, with plenty climbs of different lengths and gradients, a day well suited to a breakaway but where a lot can happen. We have difficult ascents on this day, but will the GC riders risk it before what is one of the key stages of the race?

Stage 9 will be one of the key moments of the race, as the riders take on a 'mini Strade Bianche'. This will be a day where the overall classification will be tested in a terrain they are not favoured in - where crashes, splits and tactics are often key. It will feature climbing and the pressure will be on so expect the pink jersey contenders to be around the front, but there will simultaneously be a lot of riders aiming for a prestigious stage win.

The riders will tackle dozens of kilometers of gravel roads (30 in total), plenty short and steep climbs and will be ending the stage in the city of Siena, which also hosts the finale of Strade Bianche, with the famous ascent of the Via Santa Caterina included.

The second and final time-trial of the race, of moderate length. It will be flat, but the Giro organizers did not plan on making a traditional day against the clock. The 28 kilometers will be enough to create differences, however amongst the best things should stay relatively similar.

Stage 11 is a very tricky one, it can be for the GC men but it depends on their mentality. Right after the time-trial, there may be risks taken here. The stage features a brutal ascent early on of the San Pellegrino in Alpe which is over 14 kilometers long at 8%, one of the hardest in the race. But if the trigger isn't pulled, then likely we have a day for the breakaway whilst the GC riders will be marking each other in the hilly finale into Castelnuovo Ne Monti.

The sprinters may have it their way once again on the 12th day of the race. From Modena to Viadana there aren't many obstacles, and it should be an important day in the fight for the Maglia Ciclamino.

The riders return to the famous Monte Berico on stage 13. It's a day for the classics riders whilst the GC men have to be fully aware of their surroundings. There are no long climbs on this day, but there will be plenty tension in the finale with the short and steep final ascent creating the threat of gaps.

The race heads abroad once again, but curiously with a day that should suit the sprinters. There is no meaningful climbing with the start in Treviso, whilst the riders climb slightly into the border with Slovenia. There should be a bunch sprint taking place in Nova Gorica later on.

Giro fans will remember this finale, which hosted the finale of the final mountain day of the 2017 Giro d'Italia. A successful combo on that day, and the race directors are hoping to see similar action on the final day of the second week, featuring the fearful Monte Grappa and the climb to Dori en route to a rolling finale in Asiago.

Stage 16, the first day of the final week, will be brutal. Five categorized climbs but the race should really explode on the final ascent to San Valentino, 17 kilometers long at 6.5%. There will be lots of climbing and it's a day for the pure climbers to make the difference.

Much had been rumoured of this stage, but an ascent of the Passo dello Stelvio will not be present. Instead Bormio hosts the finale of an interesting stage which is not as dangerous for the GC as we usually have in the city. We will have climbs of the Passo del Tonale (14.8Km; 6.2%) and the Passo del Mortirolo (but not through it's hardest side, being 12.8Km at 7.6%) before a technical descent and then a hilly finale with still plenty kilometers ahead. A lot can happen on this day, there will certainly be thoughts of tactical moves.

Stage 18 will be the penultimate opportunity for the sprinters, however this late in the race there will be a lot of riders looking to attack the first half of the day to try and form a strong breakaway. Into Cesano Maderno, we should have a thrilling day of action amongst many riders.

Stage 19 will take place in the Valle d'Aosta and truly it will feature what the region has the most, technical climbs and descents, all of them long and steep but very similar in it's characteristics. It's trully a very difficult day with climbing right from the start, but then also three very long and difficult ascents on the Col Tzecore, Col de Saint Pantaleon and finally Col de Joux, each of them 16 kilometers in length and averaging around 7%. A day of endurance and where in the final week huge differences can be created. Before arriving in Champoluc there will still be another small ascent to Antagnod.

The queen stage? Many will say that exactly, it's a day with an easy start but the Giro organizers have saved the best for last. In 2018 over these climbs we saw the race turned on it's head as pink jersey Simon Yates cracked and Chris Froome stormed to the race lead with a huge solo attack. The riders climb the Collle del Lys and then tackle the insanely difficult Colle delle Finestre, an hour-long ascent which averages 9% for over 18 kilometers, 7 of which in gravel. It's going to decimate the peloton this late in the race, and antecedes the summit finish in Sestriere, as was the case in several previous editions.

Thew race will finish with a flat stage in Rome, 141 kilometers with the sprinters having their final shot at glory.

Primoz Roglic - The man to beat? Ordinarily I wouldn't say so, Roglic is a perfect rider for La Vuelta which he won again last summer where it gets very hot, the stages are usually focused on a single climb, and they are usually steep which is perfect for him. At the Giro the rain plays a bigger role, the climbs are longer and stages are more difficult to control, which plays out more into the hands of the pure climbers. But at the same time, his Volta a Catalunya performance was brilliant and his final stage proved that despite his age, he is absolutely at his best level still and can truly make the difference on some hilly days. BORA have a very strong lineup and with both Jai Hindley and Daniel Martínez backing him up, the team may actually have more than one card to play for the pink jersey if they find their best legs - which is not a certainty.

Juan Ayuso - The Spaniard put his foot down, and so far this spring has been spectacular. Several wins, a dominant Tirreno-Adriatico performance, but a worthy rival found in Catalunya in Roglic. Ayuso has the experience, several Grand Tours in the legs, a TT to match Roglic but I'd say as strong or even better of a pure climber as the Slovenian... He can win this Giro, it would not come as a surprise. After what he did in the spring, I believe UAE WILL actually orient itself around him as a leader, although a peak form Adam Yates can fight for the same goal. But if not, the order is clear, and with the likes of Jay Vine, Brandon McNulty and Rafal Majka all present in the mountain block, there is serious power to make big moves in the mountain days.

INEOS - A wildcard team, perhaps a victory contender too as the team is fully focused on the GC fight and has two leaders that can do this. Egan Bernal is back to his best, but I will be honest, his level is not high enough to dream of the pink jersey realistically... However a Top5 is possible, he will be a wildcard, and is one of the riders who handles the gravel/weather/altitude very well so in some days he is an absolute threat. But I think the team must finally fully bet on Thymen Arensman, specially after his incredible stage win at the Tour of the Alps (and 2nd in GC) which show that he has reached his best level. If he can consistently keep it, Arensman may be the most dangerous outsider for the pink jersey.

Mikel Landa - Podium contender, and if he shows the level of last year's Tour de France, a victory contender too. Quick-Step don't have much of a climbing team, but he can make the difference when on his best day. A Giro veteran, a Grand Tour specialist and a rider who thrives in the final week of GT's - where this one will be decided. After a 7th at Tirreno and 4th at Catalunya, he continues to show that he remains at his best.

Michael Storer - A podium contender at this point. Storer has taken a step up since leaving Groupama, but above all he more and more finds his consistency. When he is at his best, he can do what he did at the Tour of the Alps, which was no less than a mind-boggling week of climbing. It can be argued that he peaked too early, but that's merely speculation, and with the level he showed he will absolutely be amongst the best climbers in this Giro and will be a very interesting wildcard.

Giulio Ciccone - Lidl-Trek are a team that are putting a lot of focus on the Tour de France, and at the Giro Mads Pedersen gets freedom to lead and hunt stage wins. However, he is a powerhouse used to working for his leaders at the same time, and Ciccone can benefit from this greatly. It's not a climber-oriented lineup... but the Italian pulled off a strong Tour last year and recently showed good form at the Tour of the Alps (where he also took his first win in a long time) and so he will be another pure climber who will make the mountain days more interesting.

Richard Carapaz - The Ecuadorian is not the GC specialist he used to be in INEOS, however at last year's Vuelta a España, without much of a team, he rode a brilliant race and finished fourth in the overall classification. A podium is possible if he has his absolute best form, but above all he is a rider without fear, who can spark action in any day and can make the race so much more exciting. The Giro has a lot to gain if he and EF carry out offensive moves.

Derek Gee - I have big expectations of the Canadian, third at the Criterium du Dauphiné and 9th at the Tour last year. With the level of the Giro, a podium is certainly within reach, and he's proven to at his best level be very consistent and with a very strong time-trial. He has had a great spring and his form seemed to grow exponencially during the Tour of the Alps, which seems to be the ideal preparation towards the Giro. However like some of the riders above, he will not have support when action gets very serious in the mountains.

Antonio Tiberi - The Italian dropped out of the Tour of the Alps with illness, and may be the one big GC contender whose form we do not really know of. However nowadays not many riders need competition to quickly reach their best form, so it won't be much of a reason for concern. Last year's white jersey winner (and 5th place) was third at Tirreno-Adriatico only behind (out of the GC riders) Juan Ayuso, and will be another podium contender, counting on a strong climbing team and with a strong time-trial and consistency in his deck of cards, besides the good climbing ability.

Simon Yates and Wilco Kelderman will be cards for Team Visma | Lease a Bike although it is quite hard to predict how it will go, and the team will likely put just as much or more focus on the sprint stages for Olav Kooij and Wout van Aert. Picnic PostNL also have two potential contenders in Romain Bardet and Max Poole, but we do not know how far they can or will go in the GC fight - or if they will change towards hunting stage wins.

Davide Piganzoli, Einer Rubio, David Gaudu, Lorenzo Fortunato, Chris Harper and Louis Meintjes may also all be in play for the overall classification.

The race is favourable towards climbers, puncheurs and classics riders, so there are not too many opportunities for the pure sprinters and there are not too many of the top fast men present at the start. Without a doubt, Olav Kooij and Kaden Groves will be the main purists at the start, whilst Mads Pedersen and Wout van Aert will be the main faovurites for those days that include some climbing but end in a sprint - with the breakaways also likely to see them in action.

In the pure sprinter bunch we've got Sam Bennett, Milan Fretin, Gerben Thijssen, Max Kanter, Paul Magnier and Casper van Uden who will be active; whilst on hilly days we may also see Andrea Vendrame, Corbin Strong, Filippo Fiorelli and Orluis Aular looking to surprise in a few tricky stages. On the hilly days we will certainly see big men such as Tom Pidcock and Christian Scaroni also looking for wins whilst Joshua Tarling will certainly be the rider who will put the most focus on the time-trials.

*** Primoz Roglic, Juan Ayuso
** Mikel Landa, Derek Gee, Thymen Arensman, Giulio Ciccone, Antonio Tiberi, Michael Storer
* Einer Rubio, Adam Yates, Jai Hindley, Daniel Martínez, Richard Carapaz, Egan Bernal, Simon Yates, Lorenzo Fortunato, David Gaudu, Romain Bardet, Wilco Kelderman

Pick: Juan Ayuso