Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic sets out to become the oldest winner of the Giro d’Italia when the year’s first Grand Tour begins its 3,413 km trek from Albania to Rome on Saturday.
With reigning champion Tadej Pogacar focussing on the Tour de France, the door looks wide open for a host of riders seeking to wear the maglia rosa (pink jersey) on June 1.
The absence of Slovenian Pogacar and Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard means 35-year-old Roglic will be favourite to regain the crown he won in 2023.
Backed by a strong Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team, including 2022 champion Jai Hindley of Australia, four-time Vuelta a Espana winner Roglic could surpass the record of Fiorenzo Magni who won the Giro, aged 34 and 180 days, in 1955.
“We know how tough this Giro will be, and we’re also aware that all eyes will be on Primoz,” Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe chief of sport Rolf Aldag said.
“That’s why we’re heading to the start in Albania with a strong, well-balanced team. Primoz is in great shape, and the group around him is well-rehearsed and gives us tactical depth.”
Roglic began the season in fine fashion by winning the Tour of Catalunya but with Hindley and also 2024 runner-up Dani Martinez in their starting list, Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe boast a three-pronged General Classification (GC) attack.
They will not have it all their own way though with several other teams featuring strong overall contenders.
Young Spaniard Juan Ayuso leads the UAE Team Emirates challenge in the absence of Pogacar having won the week-long Tirreno-Adriatico this season and going toe-to-toe with Roglic in a fierce battle in Catalunya.
The 22-year-old will be supported by a formidable team of domestiques and Britain’s overall contender Adam Yates.
“Between myself and Juan I think we should be able to have a good crack on the general classification and try to defend the title, and I’m looking forward to getting started in what I hope will be a very competitive three weeks,” Yates said.
While Ayuso seeks his maiden Grand Tour triumph, experienced trio Richard Carapaz, Mikel Landa and Egan Bernal cannot be ignored.
Spaniard Landa, 35, has often sacrificed himself in the service of others but will be the main man in the Soudal–Quick–Step team.
Ecuador’s Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) has a Giro overall title and Olympic road gold on his palmares while Colombian Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) has looked close to the form that took him to the Giro title in 2021.
Albania is hosting a Grand Tour for the first time with the first of three stages in the Balkan country being Saturday’s hilly 160 km stage from Durazzo to Tirana before Sunday’s short time trial around Tirana. After a third stage featuring the race’s first climb to 1,000 metres, the Giro heads back across the Adriatic to Lecce before snaking its way up the country.
The 108th edition of the race contains 52,000 metres of climbing – 10,000 more than last year – with two huge climbing days ahead of the Rome climax.
