PREVIEW | Giro d'Italia 2025 stage 1 - Wout van Aert. Tom Pidcock and Mads Pedersen amongst the main favourites for the first pink jersey

The Corsa Rosa is the first Grand Tour of the season and this year it will include a start in a nation that will for the first time in it's history host a Grand Tour, Albania; and also several mountain stages in it's second half whilst the first half will feature some tricky stages including one that goes through a lot of the Strade Bianche course. We preview stage 1.

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.

The distance is not big and the first half of the stage is completely flat. But this won't be a day for a bunch sprint, and it is one that is potentially more difficult than most opening stages of three-week races. 12.9 kilometers at 5.9% will open up the action with the climb to Gracen finishing with 79 kilometers to go. It won't likely be paced too hard, this will be reserved for the final climb which will be ridden on two occasions.

This will be the climb to Surrel which is 6.9 kilometers at 4.6%, it's an ascent that is similar to Cipressa - the distance and gradient are similar, albeit a little harder and with a 13% ramp that can be a more proper launchpad. It's not an ascent where the pure climbers can make the difference, and it is one where a sizeable peloton can go through the final summit with 11 kilometers to go.

But this doesn't mean that it will come down to a sprint fighting for victory. For the first places, with certainty, but the descent is technical and the final kilometers will be downhill almost all the way to the line, and so any attack or rider who gets a gap can get away with a very prestigious victory.

Slightly cloudy day with a slight western breeze. It will make for a tailwind throughout most of the final climb, which does aid potential attacks as the pace will be higher.

Mads Pedersen - An in-form Pedersen will easily be able to handle such climbs in a peloton and in a sprint he is very capable of beating anyone and taking the first pink jersey. Usually, he is well adapted to the kinds of stages that also fit attackers and breakaways... But here he should find several alliances and the climbs aren't overly hard, so riders like Giulio Ciccone and Mathias Vacek can be very valuable in controlling the peloton and setting up a sprint - or they can also participate in attacks themselves.

Wout van Aert - Visma are in the exact same situation, where Simon Yates and Wilco Kelderman can end up doing the work for a sprint towards Wout van Aert's pink dream. Olav Kooij could survive too potentially, although he won't be the priority on this day. The question is how strong van Aert will be, because as he said he got ill after Amstel Gold Race and wasn't able to train properly ahead of the Grande Partenza. I'd bet on a good van Aert, not peak form, but one who will go over the climbs without much of an issue because in April his climbing level was very good. In a sprint he does not have the guarantees he once had, but a victory is well possible if he times it right.

A sprint at the end of the day is the most likely scenario for this day, however which riders will be present is the big question. This being day 1 of the Giro also brings a level of unknown regarding the form of many, and most won't want to peak on the first day of a three-week race either. Kaden Groves is an equally valid pink jersey contender alongside the two riders above, but he will need his best level to go through the climbs as he is not as well adapted. The likes of Paul Magnier, Luca Mozzato and Orluis Aular also have the abilities but require very good legs.

We have a second list of sprinters who are certain to go over the climbs but then have to hope for a hard race to drop as many fast men as possible, and then play their card in the finale such as Corbin Strong, Filippo Fiorelli, Rick Pluimers, and most importantly AG2R duo Andrea Vendrame (Tirreno-Adriatico stage winner) and Dorian Godon.

As for the GC riders? Well the likes of Primoz Roglic and Juan Ayuso definitely have the legs to launch an attack, but I think they won't particularly want to do so, and instead focus on the long game where a pink jersey will likely be on the shoulders of either. However that should only apply to them... All other climbers, regarding of their GC aspirations, would want at least a day in the lead of a Grand Tour and of course a stage win to open things up. Their teammates Daniel Martínez and Isaac del Toro for example are riders who can have a lot of freedom.

Alongside them we have very aggressive riders such as Richard Carapaz or Romain Bardet who is always keen on trying something when he has the legs; the in-form trio of Michael Storer, Derek Gee and Thymen Arensman who are all very good on these kinds of non-steep ascents and can hold themselves on solo moves; and I would absolutely mention Egan Bernal as a wildcard for such terrain as well.

A few puncheurs such as Diego Ulissi, Christian Scaroni and Kévin Geniets will be interesting to watch on the climb which suits their abilities quite well; the likes of Joshua Tarling, Marco Frigo and Mattia Cattaneo are unlikely to make any difference uphill but if they get a gap in the final kilometers it may be impossible to bring them back... We've got downhill demons such as Tom Pidcock and Pello Bilbao who are absolutely going to be in the mix, and can attack on the climb itself as well... There are so many potential winners for the first day of racing, it will be a very good one.

*** Mads Pedersen, Wout van Aert
** Kaden Groves, Corbin Strong, Tom Pidcock
* Mathias Vacek, Olav Kooij, Luca Mozzato, Andrea Vendrame, Dorian Godon, Rick Pluimers, Filippo Fiorelli, Joshua Tarling, Romain Bardet, Diego Ulissi, Christian Scaroni, Primoz Roglic, Juan Ayuso, Richard Carapaz, Thymen Arensman, Michael Storer, Derek Gee

Pick: Mads Pedersen

How: Reduced bunch sprint