Peter Maniaty and Nicola Rutzou
The 2025 edition of the Giro starts tomorrow in Albania with three stages in the Balkan country. This is followed by the first rest day, which is needed to move the riders and their entourages from Albania to Italy to continue racing.
The 2025 Grand Partenza takes place in Albania with three stages, including a short 13.7km time trial on the streets of the capital city, Tirana. Stage 3 looms as the toughest of the Balkan trilogy with 2,800m of elevation, including the 10.7km ascent (7.4 per cent average) of the Llogara Pass in the Ceraunian Mountains.
Our May/June print edition contains a comprehensive guide to the race, but here are a few highlights to whet your appetite.
The route
Long-time Giro d’Italia Race Director, Mauro Vegni, has conjured an intriguing route that begins on the eastern side of the Adriatic Sea in Durrës and ends three weeks later on the ancient streets of Rome. Featuring spectacular scenery, white Tuscan roads, epic climbs, logistically-complex transfers (Stage 21 begins a whopping 760km from the finish line of Stage 20) and even a short sojourn into Slovenia, the 2025 route is noticeably light on time trials with two stages totalling just 42km combined. Both races against the clock also come in the first half of the race.
Cruelly, but entirely in keeping with most modern grand tours, the terrain gets harder as the riders get wearier. The final week is tailored to bring the overall battle to a heavenly crescendo with a relentless combination of hellish ascents. Indeed, all five of 2025’s high mountain stages are packed into the last seven days of racing, with the final podium likely to be decided on the winding slopes of the Colle delle Finestre on the penultimate stage.
On paper, there seems to be a maximum of six stages for the sprinters. The final stage begins with a neutralised Sunday morning roll through the Vatican, then journeys south-west to Ostia on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It then returns to complete multiple circuits through the heart of the Eternal City, passing the Colosseum eight times and finishing near the Circus Maximus.
There’s no Gavia Pass, Zoncolan or Stelvio that may disappoint traditionalists. But there’s still plenty of epic terrain to be conquered with a whopping 52,500m of elevation – an average of 2,500m per stage – including Monte Grappa, Tagliacozzo, Alpe San Pellegrino, Passo del Mortirolo, Col de Joux and the aforementioned Colle delle Finestre.
The contenders
Arguably, the biggest rider news isn’t who is racing, but who isn’t. After last year’s ‘Tadej Trouncing’, the Slovenian’s absence (together with that of arch rival Jonas Vingegaard) should inject renewed optimism into the peloton.
Defending Vuelta a España champion and 2023 Giro winner, Primož Roglič shapes as the likely overall favourite, especially supported by high-calibre lieutenants, Jai Hindley and Dani Martinez.
Of course, nothing comes easy in a grand tour. Roglič will face stiff opposition from both Yates brothers, Richard Carapaz and UAE Team Emirates-XRG young gun, Juan Ayuso, who will no doubt relish the chance to ride free of Pogačar’s slender yet considerable shadow. Fast-emerging Brit Max Poole, Canada’s Derek Gee, Frenchman David Gaudu, Jayco-AlUla’s Filippo Zana and 2024 Youth Classification winner Antonio Tiberi are others likely to make their presence felt. It will be fascinating to see if Q36.5 wildcard Tom Pidcock mounts a sustained GC charge or focuses purely on stages.
The Aussies
Jai Hindley looks set to once again lead the Aussie GC charge. Should anything happen to Roglič, the Western Australian will likely assume the reins as team leader for Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe. Jay Vine will also be prominent when the roads tilt upwards, and, despite ongoing wrist issues, Luke Plapp will be at the start line in Albania, looking to build on his four Top 10 stage placings in 2024. Having enjoyed success in Italy before, Kaden Groves will rightly fancy his chances on the flatter stages in what shapes as being an open field of sprinters.
There are 13 Aussies on the start line, which is four more than last year:
Luke Plapp Team Jayco AlUla
Chris Harper Team Jayco AlUla
Michael Hepburn Team Jayco AlUla
Kaden Groves Alpecin – Deceuninck
Michael Storer Tudor Pro Cycling Team
Jai Hindley Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe
Lucas Hamilton INEOS Grenadiers
Jay Vine UAE Team Emirates – XRG
Chris Hamilton Team Picnic PostNL
Alex Edmondson Team Picnic Postnl
Nick Schultz Israel – Premier Tech
Simon Clarke Israel – Premier Tech
Damien Howson Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
The decisive days
Anything can happen on any day of a grand tour, especially the Giro d’Italia. But gazing deep into our pink crystal ball, four stages loom large in terms of the overall classification for 2025.
STAGE 9: Gubbio–Siena
It isn’t quite Strade Bianche. But with the peloton negotiating five gravel sectors in the closing 70km before facing one of pro cycling’s most brutal finales to Siena’s Piazza del Campo, GC damage will almost certainly be done, even if the break stays away to fight out the stage win. The closing kilometres are a replica of Strade Bianche, with the last gravel sector coming just 14km from the finish.
STAGE 10: Lucca–Pisa (ITT)
The second and longest ITT of this year’s Giro, covering 28.6km from Lucca to Pisa, is mostly flat, so expect fast times and monster chainrings. Time gaps between the overall contenders are unlikely to be huge. This stage has riders like Wout van Aert, Edoardo Affini, and Josh Tarling written all over it. 2025 Australian ITT Champion Luke Plapp should also feature, and the same goes for Primož Roglič.
STAGE 16: Piazzola sul Brenta–San Valentino di Brentonico
Hopefully, riders made the most of the final rest day because the opening salvo of the third week is an absolute brute; an epic 199km high mountain stage featuring five climbs (3 x Cat 1), nearly 5,000m of elevation – the most of any stage in 2025 – and barely a flat section of road all day. With the final ascent to the ski resort of San Valentino averaging well over 6% for 17km, only the strongest riders are likely to be left at the end.
STAGE 20: Verrès – Sestrière
With no final stage time trial to shake things up, this is the last chance saloon for GC aspirants. The first half of the 203km route is largely flat. Then the fun begins. At 13.7km with an average gradient of 4.7%, the Colle del Lys could provide the launch pad for a bold attack. Next comes the 18.5km hors catégorie beast that is the 2,178m Colle delle Finestre with leg-sapping gradients hovering around 9-10% and the added complication of gravel for the final 8km to the summit.
All stages will be broadcast by SBS television in Australia.
Image credit: Sirotti.it
