Giro d'Italia: Eight storylines to keep an eye on during cycling's first Grand Tour of 2025

New York Times

08-05-2025

The first men's Grand Tour of the 2025 cycling season is here — the Giro d'Italia, a three-week odyssey up Italy's spine before its traditional mountain denouement in the Alps and Dolomites — begins on Friday (May 9).
Its winner will wear the Maglia Rosa (pink jersey) into Rome on Sunday, June 1 — joining an illustrious and sometimes controversial list of champions including Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, Eddy Merckx, and Marco Pantani.
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But the first three days of the Giro take place across the Adriatic Sea in Albania — the first time that the small Balkan nation has hosted a stage at any of cycling's three major events (the Giro, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana).
Tadej Pogacar comfortably won the 2024 Giro, but the Slovenian will not be at this season's edition as he prioritises his Tour de France preparation, leaving an open competition for this year's general classification (GC).
With 11 different winners in the last 11 years, the Giro is one of the most unpredictable races in the sport — from the riders' form, to the tactics on its unusual profile, to even the invariably inclement weather.
Amid all that turbulence, there are plenty of storylines to keep abreast of. Here are eight to keep an eye on over the next three weeks.
This year's Giro d'Italia follows a typically esoteric route — from the mountains of Albania to the stone-pine-lined streets of Rome.
But despite having over 52,000 metres of climbing — the most since 2020 — there are only two true summit finishes, a scarcity by Grand Tour standards. This will make the route both attritional and tactical — on major mountain stages, look for the leading teams to set a high pace with the aim of trimming down the peloton early.
Aside from a sharp climb on the slopes of Monte Bove at the end of Stage 7, major mountains do not appear on the route until late in Stage 15 at Monte Grappa — this Giro has been designed to be tight going into the final week.
Stage 16 has 4,900m of climbing but lacks the altitude and steepness to create real gaps in the field — but make sure you're tuned in for the following day, aka, the Mortirolo Stage.
The Mortirolo is one of Italy's most famous climbs, which was denounced by Lance Armstrong in 2004 as the most challenging ascent he had ever ridden. Its name derives from the Italian for 'dead'. The first rider over the summit is awarded a trophy named after the legendary Pantani, but the GC favourites will know that whoever has a gap at the top could make significant gains.
One oddity. The town council of Monno have resurfaced the super-steep 'Recta Contador' section of the climb, named after the Spanish rider who won the 2015 race, but told journalists, as of Thursday, that race organisers have not confirmed whether it would be used.
There is more heavy climbing on Stage 19, but the race will be decided on the slopes of the Colle delle Finestre on Stage 20. Known as the unpaved mountain — though now mostly paved, look out for its 30 hairpins in less than 3km. Chris Froome led over the Finestre on the Giro's last visit here in 2018, on his way to one of the most remarkable solo victories in race history.
Looking for sheer beauty? Search no further than Stage 9, which mimics the picturesque Strade Bianche race through Tuscany's chalk-white roads. The steep finish into Siena's Piazza del Campo could also entice some GC contenders to chase time gaps.
Roglic has had one of the stranger careers in professional cycling. Never mind his transformation from elite-level ski jumper, the Slovenian's palmares has seen him win the Vuelta a Espana four times and the Giro once, though his ultimate goal, the Tour de France, looks likely to elude him.
Roglic came closest to winning the Tour in 2020, when he took a comfortable lead into the decisive time-trial up La Planche des Belles Filles — only for Pogacar to overhaul him at the last. He has not threatened to win since.
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Over the past five years, Roglic has been eclipsed by his countryman, but has still racked up Grand Tour wins in races that Pogacar has not entered. One of these was the 2023 Giro, where he left it late to beat Geraint Thomas in the final time-trial, though even that comes with the asterisk that race leader Remco Evenepoel was forced to retire halfway through with Covid-19, something that has affected most editions of the race since 2020.
This year, Roglic enters as the pre-race favourite, having won March's Volta a Catalunya, while his Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team contains two 'super-domestiques' (the leader's most trusted lieutenants) in former Giro winner Jai Hindley and 2024 podium finisher Daniel Martinez. At 35, Roglic would become the oldest champion in Giro history.
But all this context leaves Roglic in a strange position. This race contains a relatively shallow field of GC contenders, lacking Pogacar, Evenepoel, and Jonas Vingegaard. Roglic says the 2025 Tour is still his priority. Until then, in a way, it will be hard to escape the notion that he is this generation's king of the non-aliens, a half-step below the truly supernatural talents.
This is the first edition of the Giro to start outside Italy since the race began in Hungary three years ago — and in many ways, Albania makes logical sense.
A short ferry ride across the Adriatic from Italy's south, Albania has limited cycling pedigree but picturesque roads — the potential to grow the sport in the country is exactly what foreign departures should be about.
Previous Giro start locations have included Israel, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Denmark — nations that make far less sense, outside the always-welcome hosting fee paid to Giro organisers.
The first stage, finishing in Albania's capital, Tirana, is potentially bumpy enough to trim the pure sprinters from the bunch, before a short 13.7km time-trial on Stage 2 could see Visma-Lease a Bike's Wout van Aert or INEOS' Josh Tarling in pink.
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Then, on Stage 3, the Giro takes on its first major climb in Mount Cika, the highest mountain in southern Albania. While it may be too early for GC contenders to take too many risks, the stage takes place on Albania's parliamentary election day. This will be a big afternoon for the nation's tourist board.
What to make of the Giro and its frequently snowy or rainy weather?
There is undeniable romance in the sight of the Maglia Rosa coming through clouds of white — Nibali's victory through a storm on Tre Cime di Lavaredo in 2013 is one of the sport's most beautiful images — but with rider safety an increasing concern, it cannot be something to celebrate.
Taking place in the mountains of northern Italy in spring, the risk of fresh snowfall means stages can be amended or even cancelled. This year, the Queen Stage up the Colle delle Finestre was thought to be under threat, with the peak still covered in 40cm of snow in late April but conditions have begun to thaw.
The snow could, of course, still return.
'Anything but a top-three finish would be disappointing.'
So speaks Juan Ayuso, still just 22 years old, but long held up as the most talented emerging climber in the peloton. In 2022, at just 19, he became the youngest rider to finish on a Grand Tour podium since 1904 by finishing third in his home race, the Vuelta a Espana.
Since then, his progress has not been linear. As a member of Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates, he has largely had to contend with supporting his Slovenian team-mate. He was visibly frustrated when working as a domestique at last summer's Tour de France, getting into an argument with team-mate Joao Almeida before pulling out of the race with Covid-19.
This year, however, Ayuso is looking strong. He came second to Roglic in the Volta a Catalunya, while also winning the stage race Tirreno-Adriatico, and the one-day races Faun Drome Classic and Trofeo Laigueglia. His time-trialling, previously a major weakness, has also improved.
Most significantly, Ayuso has comfortably the strongest supporting team in the race. Adam Yates extended his contract this week, and will provide support in the high mountains alongside fellow veterans Rafal Majka and Jay Vine, the latter of whom has already displayed stellar form this season.
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American Brandon McNulty is another talented and willing domestique, but the most exciting prospect is 21-year-old Isaac del Toro, who might already be the greatest rider in Mexico's history. He blitzed the field to win the 2023 Tour de l'Avenir (the baby Tour de France) and won Milano-Torino in March but this is just his second three-week stage race. If he supports Ayuso well, it will demonstrate his Grand Tour-winning potential.
Ayuso faces a very different conundrum from Roglic. This is a pressure-filled race for him, even if its repercussions lie outside his control.
Should he win the Giro, even in dominant fashion, he will remain second-fiddle to Pogacar — if he wants to lead a squad at the Tour, he will have to leave UAE. Perform poorly, however, and Del Toro is just one of several young talents on the team's books who could pressure Ayuso's leader status at the other Grand Tours. The Spaniard has reached a point where it is no longer about potential — but the present.
It has been almost 10 years since Vincenzo Nibali won the 2016 Giro — the nine-year wait for another Italian winner is already the longest in race history.
To most Italians, the race is more significant than the Tour de France. Legendary riders such as Coppi (five wins), Bartali, Felice Gimondi (both three wins), Nibali (two wins), and Pantani (one win) made their names in the Maglia Rosa — while sprinter Mario Cipollini delivered 42 individual stage wins between 1989 and 2003.
But Italian cycling has been lacking GC contenders, with time-triallist Filippo Ganna the country's only real star.
Antonio Tiberi is Italy's major hope, and is an outside shot for the podium. The 23-year-old Bahrain Victorious climber finished fifth last year, winning the young rider classification. His time-trialling ability will be a real bonus in a race where the lack of summit finishes may reduce time gaps.
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Tiberi is, however, a controversial figure. He was sacked by his previous team, Trek-Segafredo, after shooting and killing a cat with his air rifle.
Far more popular is Giulio Ciccone, a puncher (an explosive specialist at their best on short, steep climbs) whose signature celebration of throwing his sunglasses into the crowd has brought a wrist-slap from the UCI, cycling's world governing body, this season.
Ciccone finished second in Liege-Bastogne-Liege last month — aka, best of the mortals behind Pogacar — and the 30-year-old has said he is targeting the GC at the Giro. Possibly more likely is adding his three individual stages at the Giro, or competing for the blue jersey handed out to the winner of the mountains classification — a jersey he won in 2019.
On the stage victory front, keep an eye out for the opportunistic Marco Frigo, while Giulio Pellizzari could challenge for wins in the mountains if allowed up the road to support Roglic.
If Roglic and Ayuso are the top-tier contenders, the race behind them is extremely open.
EF-Education First's Richard Carapaz, a former winner, has rare acceleration on the steepest slopes, and could compete if his time-trialling stands muster. Watch out for him on Stage 9 into Siena.
Soudal Quick-Step's Mikel Landa extended his contract at the team this week, and though he rides conservatively, his consistency makes him a podium threat in Grand Tours.
INEOS Grenadiers, who have excited with their unusually aggressive tactics this year, have dual leaders in Thymen Arensman and 2021 Giro winner Egan Bernal.
This will be Bernal's first three-week tour as a team leader since a life-threatening incident in January 2022, when he crashed into a stationary bus while training in his native Colombia. The 2019 Tour de France winner has not yet shown he is back to that Grand Tour-winning level, and though his team has publicly said he is targeting victory, a fractured clavicle in February will not have helped preparations.
Elsewhere, Canadian Derek Gee and Australian Michael Storer will compete for the top 10, while Simon Yates, signed primarily this season as a domestique for Vingegaard, will lead Visma-Lease a Bike's GC efforts. The Englishman looked set to win the 2018 Giro before cracking and losing 38 minutes on Stage 19 — but still has the pedigree to podium.
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Look out too for Q36.5's Tom Pidcock on his Giro debut. He is not prioritising GC, but the double-Olympic mountain biking gold medallist is still one of the best one-day racers in the world. The lack of summit finishes could play in his favour — should he manage to gap the peloton over the top, his descending ability provides him with the opportunity to transform that into a stage win.
And finally, cycling romantics will hope that the much-loved Romain Bardet can sign out from his final Grand Tour with at least a stage win.
Having won stages at both the Tour and Vuelta, the Giro is the only Grand Tour missing from his palmares, and the veteran has shown that he can still compete at the peloton's front end — winning a stage of the Tour and finishing ninth in the Giro last year — and the attrition of a three-week stage race is where he can still spring a surprise.
He said he only agreed to race the Giro to mentor his younger team-mates, and help Picnic PostNL in the increasingly competitive World Tour relegation battle — but expect aggressive attacks in the Giro's final week, for what would be one of the most popular stage wins in recent memory.
'Would I like to be 21 again, but in this modern cycling era?' he told Cycling News last month. 'Absolutely not. I find it less fun, less romantic, but it's still a privilege to be here.'
Sprinters could potentially compete for up to nine stages this Giro — a number that includes tougher uphill drags which could eliminate some of the pure speed merchants — so the battle for the points classification should be wide open.
Officially, the sprinters' jersey is known as the ciclamino jersey ('cyclamen'), but to the non-experts in shades of magenta, it can be referred to as the purple jersey.
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Van Aert may not be in his superhuman form of 2021 or 2022, but the Belgian hero has quietly been picking up high-placed finishes, clearly gritting through his issues. The uphill finish on the first stage is made for him, while he is strong enough to compete for the intermediate sprints on almost any stage.
However, the Visma-Lease a Bike rider will have to step aside for Dutchman Olav Kooij on the pure sprint stages. The 23-year-old homegrown talent has been named lead sprinter by the Dutch team, and won his first Grand Tour stage at last year's Giro, where sprints can be just as chaotic as they are at the Tour de France.
The crash on the finish line.La caduta sulla linea d'arrivo#Giro #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/a3y7CCRaLC
— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 10, 2023
Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale's Sam Bennett and Alpecin-Deceuninck's Kaden Groves are two of the other leading contenders. Groves has a fractionally lower top speed but can compete on a wider variety of terrains, while Alpecin's leadout train should be the strongest at the race.
Elsewhere, expect Mads Pedersen to compete with Van Aert on the more difficult sprints, while Soudal Quick-Step's Texas-born Frenchman Paul Magnier may be a shot for his first Grand Tour stage win.