The grand tours begin. Everything you need to know about the Giro d'Italia 2025

After finishing the spring classics journey, the grand tours are now capturing the attention of the cycling world with the start of the Giro d'Italia 2025 on Friday, May 9th, until its conclusion on Sunday, June 1st. A race that is expected to be more open than the previous edition, dominated by Tadej Pogacar, with Primoz Roglic being the main contender to win his second maglia rosa.

Countdown to the start of the Giro d'Italia 2025

The Giro d'Italia 2025 is presented as much more attractive than last year's edition, where the presence of Tadej Pogacar, resulting in overwhelming dominance, left the race somewhat lackluster despite the fantastic stages provided by the Slovenian.

In this 2025 edition, although the main rival to beat will be Primoz Roglic, who aims to continue adding to his extensive list of victories in both grand and small tours, there is a roster of cyclists that could lead to an uncertain outcome, all combined with an interesting route that starts in Albanian lands and gradually builds up to a wild final week.

Schedule and where to watch the Giro d'Italia 2025

• Fri 09/05/2025 Stage 1: Durazzo - Tirana: 13:10 to 17:25
• Sat 10/05/2025 Stage 2: Tirana - Tirana (ITT): 13:55 to 17:14
• Sun 11/05/2025 Stage 3: Valona - Valona: 13:15 to 17:26
• Mon 12/05/2025: Rest day
• Tue 13/05/2025 Stage 4: Alberobello - Lecce: 12:55 to 17:23
• Wed 14/05/2025 Stage 5: Ceglie Messapica - Matera: 13:35 to 17:21
• Thu 15/05/2025 Stage 6: Potenza - Naples: 11:30 to 17:31
• Fri 16/05/2025 Stage 7: Castel di Sangro - Tagliacozzo: 12:50 to 17:30
• Sat 17/05/2025 Stage 8: Giulianova - Castelraimondo: 12:15 to 17:30
• Sun 18/05/2025 Stage 9: Gubbio - Siena
• Mon 19/05/2025: Rest day
• Tue 20/05/2025 Stage 10: Lucca - Pisa (ITT): 13:15 to 17:14
• Wed 21/05/2025 Stage 11: Viareggio - Caltelnovo ne'Monti: 12:05 to 17:33
• Thu 22/05/2025 Stage 12: Modena - Viadana: 13:15 to 17:26
• Fri 23/05/2025 Stage 13: Rovigo - Vicenza: 12:55 to 17:23
• Sat 24/05/2025 Stage 14: Treviso - Nova Gorica: 12:46 to 17:37
• Sun 25/05/2025 Stage 15: Fiume Veneto - Asiago: 11:26 to 17:32
• Mon 26/05/2025: Rest day
• Tue 27/05/2025 Stage 16: Piazzola sul Brenta - San Valentino: 11:20 to 17:37
• Wed 28/05/2025 Stage 17: San Michele all'Adige - Bormio: 12:50 to 17:28
• Thu 29/05/2025 Stage 18: Morbegno - Cesano Maderno: 13:50 to 17:21
• Fri 30/05/2025 Stage 19: Biella - Champoluc: 12:20 to 17:34
• Sat 31/05/2025 Stage 20: Verrès - Sestrières
• Sun 01/06/2025 Stage 21: Rome - Rome: 16:06 to 18:54

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As usual, the Eurosport channel and the Max platform where it has been integrated since last year will provide full coverage of the race. Also, residents of the Basque Country and Navarra can follow the race on the regional channel ETB, which has included the Giro d'Italia in its sports offer for years.

Favorites to Win the Giro d'Italia 2025

The Giro d'Italia presents a new opportunity for Primoz Roglic to increase his prolific list of victories in tours and add a second triumph in the Italian race after his victory in 2023. Roglic, who has barely competed so far this season, only in the Volta ao Algarve and a Volta a Catalunya that he won after a formidable final stage. Since then, he disappeared from the scene and has been focused on his training for the Giro d'Italia.

However, the Slovenian won't be the only card for the Red Bull-BORA-hasgrohe team, which will try to erase the bitter taste left by the classics in Italy. Jai Hindley, a winner of this race, let's not forget; and Daniel Felipe Martínez will be Roglic's lieutenants, and if he fails, they have the level to take over the team.

As expected, their main rival will be in the UAE Team Emirates-XRG ranks, specifically in the figure of Juan Ayuso, who faces his first solid chance to challenge for a grand tour victory after a brilliant start to the season, although he was defeated by Roglic in the final act after a tremendous duel against the Slovenian in that race, a confrontation that should be repeated throughout the Giro d'Italia.

UAE Team Emirates also has a solid alternative in the form of Adam Yates, in addition to the support of a luxury team with names like Isaac del Toro, Rafal Majka, Igor Arrieta, Brandon McNulty, or Jay Vine. Quite a lineup.

An enigma will be the role of Visma-Lease a Bike, whose leader for the general classification should be Simon Yates. However, it is likely that the debutant Wout van Aert will attract more attention, as he has set his sights on winning the maglia ciclamino. Rumors suggest that the Belgian is in top form and his discreet performance in the classics was due to his real goal being the Giro. A rumor that doesn't seem to have much foundation but increases the anticipation of Wout van Aert's role in this race.

Although few are betting on him for the general classification, another cyclist who will likely play a disruptive role is Tom Pidcock, who will probably focus on winning partial stages in the mountainous days and, why not, try to win the maglia azurra for the best climber.

Returning to the battle for the general classification, we cannot forget another former winner of this race, the Colombian Egan Bernal, who started the 2025 season with a level reminiscent of his best years before the serious accident he suffered a couple of seasons ago. Although he didn't shine much in the Volta a Catalunya, his early season performances give us hope to see him back in the fight for the pink jersey.

We cannot finish the review of the protagonists of the Giro d'Italia without mentioning one of the fans' favorite cyclists. We are talking, of course, about Mikel Landa, who has his leadership role in the Giro d'Italia before focusing on the Tour de France, where he will have to give his all against Remco Evenepoel.

Route of the Giro d'Italia 2025

The route of the Giro d'Italia 2025 is designed with progressive toughness, as is customary in the Italian race. The route starts in Albania, with three stages, of which the first and third should not have much significance for the classification, while the second is a 13-kilometer time trial that should give us an idea of how the main favorites are shaping up for the race.

The real race begins after a rest day to transfer all the infrastructure to Italian lands. However, it won't be until Friday, with the uphill finish in Tagliacozzo, that we will witness the first real duel among the favorites, although it may not be a stage with great importance for the general classification, these types of finishes usually serve to eliminate some contenders from the fight.

As a dessert to the first week of the race, we will have a much more significant stage with a finish in Siena, practically identical to the Strade Bianche, with its sterrato sections included in what will surely be an exciting stage.

After another rest day, a stage that could be decisive for what comes next in the Giro d'Italia arrives. We are talking about the time trial between Lucca and Pisa, with over 28 kilometers and a completely flat route, suitable for individual time trial specialists, which will likely establish significant differences for the upcoming mountain stages.

The rest of the week will feature stages that should not have much influence on the general classification, including the 14th stage that enters Slovenian territory. Only the Sunday stage, the 15th, with a finish in Asiago and the Monte Grappa strategically located in the middle of the stage, in addition to the climb to Dori, a long and steady climb that peaks 30 km from the finish, could be perfect terrain for an unexpected battle.

Entering the third week, the race becomes relentless. Starting with the stage on Tuesday, a sawtooth stage with a finish in San Valentino, an 18-kilometer climb with a really tough central section.

It will be followed by the stage with a finish in Bormio, where the unprecedented Recta Contador del Mortirolo will be climbed, a 12-kilometer wall with impossible ramps. Additionally, its location in the stage, less than 40 km from the finish, and the constant ascent to Bormio set the stage for a day where the race could explode into pieces.

The riders will enjoy a brief respite in the 18th stage before the next one, a tremendous alpine stage that takes them to Champoluc and the decisive 20th stage with a finish in Sestriere, preceded by the colossal Colle de la Finestre, a climb that, as of today, remains in doubt after images showed its summit covered in several meters of snow. Remember that a large part of the ascent is on dirt, so there are doubts about whether it will be ready for May 31st, especially with the crazy spring weather we are experiencing.

There are also changes in the final stage in Rome, which will serve to pay tribute to the race winner and also to the recently deceased Pope Francis, as the organization has decided to slightly alter the route of the stage so that the race passes through the Vatican to remember the late pontiff, a great sports enthusiast.