After the spring classics, it’s time for the Giro, the first Grand Tour of the season. The peloton will set off on Saturday May 4 from Venaria Reale, near Turin, for three weeks of racing until arriving in Rome on May 26. Here is everything you need to know about this 107th Tour of Italy, with Tadej Pogacar as the huge favorite.
The route: two times, the Alps in the 3rd week
No respite for the runners, directly put into the bath by the first two rugged routes in Piedmont and an arrival at the top of the Santuario di Oropa (category 1, sectors at 11%) from the second stage. The rest of the first week will be calmer, despite a short passage on the white paths of the Strade Bianche and will end with a rugged time trial around Perugia (7th stage, May 10) before, the next day, the first real mountain stage in the Apennines (including a final ascent of 15 km at 7% average).
After the first day of rest around Naples, the second week promises to be under the same auspices with a crescendo increase in difficulty. This will end with the second and final flat time around Lake Garda, before a final, certainly decisive week in the Alps. Three big stages are in fact on the menu (15th, 16th and 17th stages from May 19 to 22 – rest on the 20th), in which gaps could be widened in the general classification. If this is not the case, the penultimate stage in Veneto, marked by two ascents of Monte Grappa (18.2 km), will serve as a justice of the peace before the traditional arrival in Rome.
The French: Bardet and Laporte expected, the Alaphilippe question
21 French people are taking part in this Tour of Italy. Not everyone has the same ambitions, but some can hope to play a role. Among them, Romain Bardet (Team DSM). The Auvergnat remains on a top performance, with its second place in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and will try to do well in the general classification. During his last appearance at the Giro, in 2022, he was forced to retire at the dawn of the third week, while he was in 4th place. Stage winner in the Vuelta and the Tour de France, Bardet has never won in the Tour of Italy.
Initially, Christophe Laporte was not planned for this Giro, but he was recalled following Wout van Aert’s withdrawal. The Varois will not aim to compete in the general, but can take advantage of the various hilly stages to aim for a victory. Aurélien Paret-Peintre, stage winner last year at the Giro and one of the great architects of the good start to the Decathlon AG2R season, has the same ambitions.
The big question concerns Julian Alaphilippe. What role can he play within Soudal-Quick Step? After fracturing his knee on the Strade Bianche in early March, the double world champion returned to the Tour de Romandie with, notably, a third place in the prologue, before exploding on the queen stage on Saturday. His performance in the very first Giro of his career, at almost 32 years old, will greatly depend on his physical state, which is uncertain to say the least.
The favorites: Pogacar, Pogacar and Pogacar
Since the announcement of his participation in the Giro, he has been the natural favorite. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) will obviously aim for final victory, for his first Tour of Italy. The double winner of the Tour de France (2020 and 2021) is coming off a superb season of classics, marked by victories on Liège-Bastogne-Liège or the Strade Bianche. He will benefit from the support, in particular, of Felix Grossschartner or Rafal Majka, to wear the pink jersey and win as many stages as possible.
Who is able to overshadow him? A priori, not many people, even if a few renowned riders are at the start of this Giro. Let us cite Geraint Thomas (Ineos), second last year and vengeful despite his advanced age (he will celebrate his 38th birthday the day before the finish). Revelation of the last Vuelta with Bora-Hansgrohe, Cian Uijtdebroeks will compete in his first grand Tour with Visma and try to grab a place of honor, just like Romain Bardet or Ben O’Connor, the leader of Décathlon AG2R. Despite the rather extensive CV of these, most of them experienced in three-week races, any result other than a final victory for Pogacar would represent a huge surprise.
On which channel ?
The Tour of Italy is broadcast in full on Eurosport.
