"The race is still completely open" - Alberto Contador sees Ayuso & Roglic on equal footing at 2025 Giro d'Italia

As the Giro d’Italia heads into its critical second half, Eurosport’s expert panel — featuring cycling legends Alberto Contador, Samuel Sánchez, and Eduardo Chozas — offered their analysis following a dramatic Stage 10 time trial.

The stage saw Isaac del Toro hold onto the Maglia Rosa, with teammate Juan Ayuso close behind and Primoz Roglic still in the hunt. With UAE Team Emirates - XRG showing dominance by placing four riders in the top seven, the Spanish trio weighed in on what it all means for the race ahead — and how the coming mountain stages could shake things up.

“I think in Adam Yates’ case, it’s clear he’s seeing just how solid Juan Ayuso is — and that means he’ll likely play a different role from here on. UAE has four riders in the top seven, and Adam could be the one they send up the road in a breakaway. As early as tomorrow, really — we’ll go over the stage in a bit — but sending Yates ahead would force Red Bull – BORA - hansgrohe to chase.

Overall, I think today was a positive day. We’ve now entered the crucial phase of the Giro, and the race is still completely open. Neither Ayuso nor Roglic — the two big pre-race favourites — have been ruled out, and that’s great news in terms of drama. Everything is still up for grabs.”

“Recovery-wise, Ayuso looks good. But to follow up on what Alberto was saying: I think the pressure is on the other teams now — not UAE. I was chatting with Eduardo off-camera and we both agreed: UAE can choose to race defensively or offensively. And as Alberto said, if they don’t want to set the pace tomorrow, they can send someone like McNulty or Yates up the road and shift the responsibility to the rest of the peloton.

For me, the day’s big winner was UAE as a whole. They still have the Maglia Rosa, they’re sitting first and second overall, and Juan looked solid. Roglic is still lurking, but it’s always better to be in front than chasing.”

“Juan delivered a superb time trial — he showed not just his technical ability but also great composure. On the tricky wet sections, he looked faster than Roglic. Roglic clawed some time back on the final straights, but overall, both riders came out of it well.

As for UAE, with four riders in the top ten, they’re in a position to control the race very effectively — as we’ve been discussing. Of course, this week has some important stages, but the decisive moments will come in the final week. That’s where the real mountains are, and that’s where this Giro will be won or lost. UAE’s depth gives them the tools to really put pressure on Roglic — if they play their cards right.”