2025 Giro d’Italia Rider Preview: Where the 2024 Giro d’Italia was dominated by one man, Tadej Pogačar, we expect an exciting battle for the final pink jersey this year. A different Slovenian is our top favourite this time, but there will be several other strong riders at the start in Albania on Friday. Primoz Roglič is looking for his second Giro d’Italia win, but it’s no forgone conclusion. Here are the PEZ ‘Top Tips’:
# You can see the ‘PEZ Giro d’Italia Route Preview’ HERE. #
The brutal truth about Primoz Roglič at Giro d’Italia 2025 by FloBikes
Spain’s Juan Ayuso looks to be a formidable opponent for the now 35-year-old Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team leader. The 22-year-old Spaniard of UAE Emirates XRG stood on the final podium of the 2022 Vuelta a España, and is making no secret of his ambition to win the Giro d’Italia. This season he won Tirreno-Adriático and was second in the Volta a Catalunya…. to Roglič
Will the battle be between Juan Ayuso and Primoz Roglič?
Roglič and Ayuso are seen as the main protagonist in this year’s Giro, but there are others and the Giro can throw up a surprise. Mikel Landa has been third on two occasions, Antonio Tiberi is Italy’s hope for the Grand Tours, Michael Storer is in form, Egan Bernal has returned and then there are the second in-line team leaders; like Adam Yates, Jai Hindley and Thymen Arensman, who could be waiting in the wings to capitalise on Roglič and Ayuso marking each other out of the race.
Pink again for Primoz Roglič
Primoz Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
The 2025 Giro d’Italia starts on Friday, and the top favourite is a Slovenia again. This time it is not Tadej Pogačar, but his older countryman Primoz Roglič. For the 35-year-old rider, the Giro d’Italia is his first main goal of 2025, although we haven’t seen much of Roglič in the early season, but the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe leader has been sticking to a plan. Roglič wants to be at his best in the Grand Tours this season; The Giro and the Tour de France. The Slovenian is hunting for his second Giro win and with his experience, he can prepare himself for important events, as can be seen from his results in the Grand Tours over the years: Five final overall victories, including one Giro and four Vueltas – Roglič is an expert in winning a Grand Tour (except in France). The route of this year’s Giro also suits the Slovenian with two time trials, only a few really tough mountain stages and some sharp, steep hilly stages. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team is strong and can back him up for three weeks.
Juan Ayuso has a lot of hope
Juan Ayuso (UAE Emirates XRG)
Roglič’s biggest competitor will probably be Juan Ayuso of UAE Emirates XRG. The Spaniard is only 22-years-old, but is already a man to watch in stage races. In his first professional season, he finished third in the Vuelta a España, which was also his first Grand Tour, showing his potential as a GC rider. Ayuso looks on the way to a Grand Tour win this season, look at his build up and results in the months before the Giro d’Italia. He took the victory in Tirreno-Adriatico and second place overall in the Tour of Catalunya. In Catalan race he seemed to be on his way to the final victory, but on the last stage he was pushed out of the lead by his main competitor in the Giro, Primoz Roglič. Ayuso also has a very good team behind him, including Adam Yates, Isaac Del Toro, Brandon McNulty and Jay Vine.
Mikel Landa has been on the Giro podium before
Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step)
The 2025 Giro d’Italia will not all be about the Roglič/Ayuso battle, as there are other top contenders. Mikel Landa will have to work for Remco Evenepoel in the Tour de France, but in the Giro d’Italia the climber is the Soudal Quick-Step team leader. Landa has stood on the final podium of the Giro d’Italia twice, third in the 2015 and 2022, but can he make a bid for the pink jersey and win his first Grand Tour? Landa is now 35-years-old and this may well be his last chance to win a three-week stage race. To do this he will have to limit the damage in the time trials and then make his move in the hard final week.
Michael Storer looked good in the Tour of the Alps
Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling)
Jai Hindley was the first Australian to win the Giro d’Italia in 2022, can Michael Storer be the next? After Storer took the final victory in the Tour of the Alps, it could be possible. The 28-year-old has impressed in the preparation race for the Giro d’Italia: Storer rode away from his competitors on the Alp race. Okay, he didn’t have Roglič, Ayuso or Landa in the Tour of the Alps, but he was by far the strongest there. Storer is having the best season of his career and has taken a step forward with the Tudor Pro Cycling team this year. Storer’s problem maybe his lack of success in three-week races, his best performance was 10th place in last year’s Giro, previously he had never finished in the top 30. “I’m definitely very confident now. I’m in great shape. Hopefully I can continue this to my next goal, the Giro,” he said after his overall victory in the Tour of the Alps.
Thymen Arensman or Bernal for INEOS
Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers)
In 2017, Tom Dumoulin took the final victory in the Giro d’Italia, now Thymen Arensman is the Netherlands newest Grand Tour hope. He had a strong performance in the Tour of the Alps, winning a stage and finishing second overall, which was very good for the 25-year-old rider’s self-confidence. In the Giro, Arensman will be co-leader of the INEOS Grenadiers team with Egan Bernal. The Dutch climber was sixth overall in the last two Giri, but this year he should be aiming for the podium. “I think it’s nice to share the leadership with Egan now. He can try to attack more often uphill, so I can wait and keep an eye on the other GC riders. We have more horses to bet on and that’s a good change I think,” he said recently.
Italy’s big hope – Antonio Tiberi
Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious)
Italy hasn’t had a home winner since Vincenzo Nibali in 2016, but just maybe the tifosi can be hopeful. Antonio Tiberi was fifth in last year’s Giro and it is up to Tiberi to keep the Italian fans happy. The Bahrain Victorious rider will be aiming for the final podium, but the dream of the pink jersey may only ever be a dream. The 23-year-old rider is still finding his feet in the GT’s, but with his all-round qualities he can certainly make it difficult for top favourites. His problem might be Tiberi’s preparation, which has not been going well. Due to illness, he had to abandon the Tour of the Alps, which was his last preparation race in his run-up to the Giro d’Italia. Tiberi may suffer from the lack of race hardness in the first tough Giro stages, he will have to limit the damage in the first week, so he can perform in the second and third weeks in the Italian Alps.
Derek Gee could be a contender
Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech)
Derek Gee made his breakthrough in the Italian Grand Tour two years ago. The Israel-Premier Tech rider started the race as fairly unknown, but after three weeks everyone appreciated his attacking style. A stage win was just too much, but Gee was the most combative rider. Two years later, Gee is back. This time not as a stage winner, but as a GC rider. The Canadian has developed as a tour rider: His third place in the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné and ninth place overall in the Tour de France show that he can perform at a high level for three weeks. This could be his big race.
Egan Bernal – Has he recovered?
Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers)
Egan Bernal will be one of the Grand Tour winner on the start-line in Albania. The 28-year-old Colombian is only starting his second Giro d’Italia, of course he won his first and only Giro appearance, in 2021. The trouble is with Bernal is that we don’t know how he will perform. A lot has happened in Bernal’s career since his Giro win: A devastating crash in January 2022 looked like it might end his career, but after a long and difficult rehabilitation, the INEOS Grenadiers rider has returned to the peloton. The two-time Grand Tour winner is racing again at a good level. In the shorter stage races he was able to show some of his old form, but can he hold that for three weeks and will there be any confusions between him and Thymen Arensman?
Adam Yates – UAE’s No. 2
Adam Yates (UAE Emirates XRG)
Juan Ayuso is the leader of the UAE Emirates XRG, but the team also has the Mexican climber Isaac Del Toro and the Australian Jay Vine, but Adam Yates could be UAE’s ‘second man’. For the 32-year-old, the Giro d’Italia is his first main goal of the season and we can expect a lot from the experienced rider, Yates can prepare for the big events and will be ready, but in what role? With seven top ten placings in Grand Tours, Yates has the best palmarès on the team. Two years ago he was third in the Tour de France, while working for Tadej Pogačar and this year UAE should give Yates a free role, so that the team can change tactics if need be. Yates could take advantage of the battles between his team leader, Ayuso and Roglič.
Richard Carapaz – Giro winner in 2019
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)
Richard Carapaz is normally a high finisher. The Ecuadorian won the 2019 Giro d’Italia and has also been on the podium of the Tour de France and Vuelta a España, was also fourth in the Spain last year. However, his early season has been disappointing, but he is a top performer over three weeks and may race for stage wins if his GC hopes are dashed. Can the EF Education-EasyPost leader compete with Roglič and Ayuso for the final victory? He could save his attacking for the hard third week, but he can be unpredictable.
Jai Hindley working for Roglič, or maybe he has a chance?
The Outsiders
Those are the main protagonists for this year’s Giro, but there are others we must mention: Jai Hindley is a former winner of the Giro. After he won in 2022, Hindley has concentrated more on the Tour de France, but this year he is back in Italy. The 28-year-old Australian is not the leader of the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team, that is Primoz Roglič. Will Hindley have to sacrifice himself for the Slovenian? You would think the German team would want to keep Hindley in reserve for as long as possible, in case something happens to leader Roglič. As we have seen before, the Slovenian can be prone to crashing. Hindley has had a good build up and was 9th in the Tour of Valencia, 5th in Tirreno-Adriatico and 8th in the Tour of the Alps.
Daniel Felipe Martínez has been injured
Last year Daniel Felipe Martínez was second overall and is back at the start this year, but the Colombian has been out of action for the first few months due to injuries, and has only had a few race days.
Simon Yates has Giro history
Simon Yates is another rider who can be in contention. The 32-year-old British rider has performed very well in the Giro d’Italia in the past: In the 2018 Giro he held the pink jersey for thirteen days and won three stages and was third overall in 2021. But Yates has not done much this season with his new Visma | Lease a Bike team. Simon Yates can be an unpredictable rider, but can come up with the goods.
Last Giro for Romain Bardet
Team Picnic PostNL has two riders: Romain Bardet has finished seventh and ninth in the final overall classification and this is his last Giro d’Italia. The 34-year-old Frenchman will end his road career after the Critérium du Dauphiné. His teammate Max Poole is twelve years younger and only at the start of his career. Both men were in good form in the Tour of the Alps, where Poole finished seventh and Bardet tenth overall.
David Gaudu was good in Oman
Other riders that we thing will be seen in the action are: David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), Einer Rubio, Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Luke Plapp & Chris Harper (Jayco AlUla), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana) and we can’t ignore Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling).
Roglič thinking of pink
The Top Favourites:
Probable: Primoz Roglič
Possible: Juan Ayuso, Mikel Landa
Maybe: Michael Storer, Thymen Arensman, Antonio Tiberi
Outside Bet: Derek Gee, Egan Bernal, Adam Yates, Richard Carapaz.
* The rider list might change before the start
2025 Giro d’Italia map
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