Everything You Need To Know About Giro d'Italia.

Everyone knows about the Tour de France. Not everyone knows about the Giro d’Italia. While the number of spectators for this race may not be quite as extensive as its French counterpart, the Giro d’Italia is arguably just as prestigious among cycling fans.

This annual race, which takes place in Italy’s mountainous regions, is set to take place from May 4 - May 26, and promises to be more exciting than ever, especially since organizers have put together a route that promotes attacking cycling.

Let’s dive into everything you need to know about this history race, including how it all started, who will have their eyes on the prize, and how you can attend in person.

About the Giro d’Italia

The Giro d’Italia is one of the three Grand Tours of cycling, the others being the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana. The very first race took place way back in 1909, so there’s plenty of history on its side. Fun fact: the first race was organized by a newspaper company, who were looking for an innovative way to promote their paper. Now that the race is in its 107th edition, you have to say that their promotion was more successful than probably ever imagined!

Giro d'Italia 2024 Edition

As we said above, this year’s Giro d’Italia will take place from May 4 - May 26, starting in Venaria Reale and finishing in Rome. Most Grand Tour races offer an intense test of endurance, but this year’s edition of Italy’s famous cycling race is a little different. It has the shortest route in decades — in fact, you have to go back to 1979 to find a Giro d’Italia route that was as short as this.

This brings an obvious advantage: shorter routes attract attacking cycling, which means this year’s race should make for excellent viewing.

Who’s Looking Good?

It’s rare that someone goes into the Giro d’Italia as the overwhelming favorite for victory. Most bettors normally have to make a tough judgment call about which cyclist they’re going to back. But this year is different, and it’s all because of Tadej Pogačar, who has outstanding odds with bookmakers to land his first Giro d’Italia title. The Slovenian will more than fancy his chances of coming away victorious, too, especially since this year’s route favors his cycling style. Every sportsbook has made Pogačar the runaway favorite, and some are even offering betting deals. Fanatics Sportsbook, for instance, is offering bonus bets of up to $1000; cycling fans thinking to back Pogačar for victory can get to know in what states Fanatics Sportsbook is operating here and increase the overall value of their bet by taking advantage of the deal. Of course, it’s not like the Slovenian will have everything his own way. Geraint Thomas will fancy himself to do well on this route, though whether he has enough to challenge Pogačar remains to be seen. In any case, he should be a shoo-in for second place. Beyond those two main contenders are Ben O’Connor and Antonio Tiberi, who will be hoping to put in a strong performance.

Understanding the Giro d’Italia Jerseys

If you’re watching Giro d’Italia for the first time, then it can be useful to know what those jerseys mean. Here’s a quick rundown:

Pink Jersey: the cyclist who’s in first position in the general classification.

Purple Points Jersey: the leader of the points classification.

Blue Mountains Jersey: the rider at the top of the King of the Mountains classification.

White Young Rider Jersey: best young rider (under the age of 26).

How to Attend Giro d’Italia

If you want to attend the Giro d’Italia, then good news: you absolutely can! Unlike other major sporting events, you won’t need a ticket to see the race in person. Simply fly into a nearby airport and make the journey out to where the race will be taking place. It’ll help to have a car. Note that it’s best to have other things in the trip itinerary (cycling, anyone?) since the cyclists will blitz past you pretty quickly!