PREVIEW | Giro d'Italia 2025 stage 9 - Pidcock, Roglic, Ayuso, Bernal... 'Mini Strade Bianche' can be the first decisive day of the race

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 9.

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.

It won't be the 'full thing' as the riders tackle in March, but it will be hard enough to create the chaos and damagte that is expected. From 68 to 34 kilometers to go it will be full high-octane racing before, between and during the gravel sectors which are not only tricky/narrow but also with a few climbs and descents all throughout it... It ends with a 1 kilometer climb of 7%.

Here the race can blow up. Later on, the fight for the stage win continues, and bigger differences can be made with direct attacks, not just the chaos, because with 14 kilometers to go the riders tackle Colle Pinzuto which is 450 meters long at 12% at the end of the sector. There is then a set of rolling roads before the well-known finale into Siena.

That's right the Piazza del Campo will be seen, the finish line will be at the location we all know which is a true privilege. The ascent to Via Santa Caterina needs no introduction, and it will be climbed inside the final kilometer right before the finish, with it's 16% ramps providing the spectacular finale for the first week of the race.

Quite a bit of wind coming from the west throughout the whole afternoon which means there will generally be a headwind until the gravel sectors truly begin - there on it will begin to be more of a crosswind. However it's the potential rain that poses more of a threat. It is actually like that it will fall down and can always make things more treacherous - above all making the climbs on the gravel slower and more difficult.

GC Fight - This was always going to be a thrilling day of racing and I don't expect anything less than that. Ordinarily, in a one-day race, there are defined leaders and it's a brutal day of racing where only those in their top form can perform. In a Grand Tour however the dynamics are completely different. There will be few riders actually solely focused on the stage wins - such a difficult stage thins down the list of contenders - and most teams will have as their priority to protect their leaders and their GC ambitions - riders like Mads Pedersen and Wout van Aert in their best form would be clear victory contenders, but aside from their feelings, they will surely be putting in supporting rides for their climbers.

UAE is a team I fear for slightly, as out of the four GC contenders they currently have, it's unlikely that all of them pull out of the stage with the same ambitions. The team has few domestiques, not exactly a team that's top notch for this terrain... Isaac del Toro can absolutely ambition for the pink jersey as he is an experienced off-road racer, whilst others will look to save it. Out of the men in reach of the pink jersey Mathias Vacek is an absolute threat and I would add that the 1:10-minute to Tom Pidcock is closeable. The Briton looks to be in good form and performed excellently at Strade Bianche this spring, he is one of the big favourites to win the stage. 90% of the GC riders will look to just save the day, I can assure.

The truth is that outside of this GC battle and the main riders that will likely be supporting their leaders, there aren't many other contenders for a stage win. Certainly, the fight for the breakaway will be big, as riders can then avoid the gruesome fight for positioning and added risk of crashes that come alongside being in the peloton on this day. This could definitely work and will be the best for many. Francesco Busatto, Kevin Geniets, Jon Barrenetxea, Romain Bardet and Jayco (with Paul Double, Felix Engelhardt, Davide de Pretto) may be the riders that perhaps have the best chances of pulling something off. The Astana boys could potentially do it, but they have a new priority now.

There is a fair question on whether Diego Ulissi can keep his pink jersey. I would say no, the fatigue will be felt and this is a very hard stage, but to be fair the Italian is great on short climbs and if he avoids the bad luck and is well positioned, he could keep it another day - although in the time-trial he will then lose it.

*** Tom Pidcock, Mathias Vacek
** Isaac del Toro, Egan Bernal, Giulio Ciccone
* Mads Pedersen, Francesco Busatto, Jon Barrenetxea, Paul Double, Romain Bardet, Felix Engelhardt, Primoz Roglic, Juan Ayuso,

Pick: Mathias Vacek

How: Solo victory