What can happen in the last week of the Giro d'Italia?

The decisive week of the 2025 Giro d'Italia kicks off, where the high mountains will have to clarify a classification that is still tremendously uncertain despite the solid leadership shown by Isaac del Toro. The debate about the captaincy of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, the apparent weakness of Primoz Roglic, or the rising form of fighters like Carapaz and Bernal promise a simply thrilling final week of the Giro. Oh, and let's not forget about Simon Yates, to whom the Corsa Rosa owes one.

Will Isaac del Toro be able to hold on to the pink jersey in the last week of the Giro?

Although initially he seemed like a circumstantial leader, Isaac del Toro has been reaffirming himself with each closed gap and each bonus contested as a solid leader while stealing the spotlight at UAE Team Emirates-XRG from a Juan Ayuso burdened by the fall on the Siena dirt roads and some knee issues.

The situation is similar for another of the, a priori, top favorites for the final victory when starting from Albania. A Primoz Roglic who is also suffering the consequences of falls as revealed a few hours ago by Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and who, during the rest day, will decide whether to continue in the race or save his efforts in the high mountains and focus on recovering and preparing for the Tour de France.

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Instead, despite being far behind in the general classification, almost as much as Roglic, the names of Egan Bernal and Richard Carapaz are gaining ground to occupy the podium in Rome. Their offensive attitude and the form they are showing allow us to dream that they can shake things up in any of the extremely tough stages left to be contested.

We also cannot overlook what the Bahrain-Victorious riders can do. Quietly, Damiano Caruso and Antonio Tiberi are in an excellent position for the last week of the Giro d'Italia. However, unlike the two South Americans, their attitude of resistance and the lack of any offensive moves so far does not seem to be enough to dream of the top spot, although it could help them sneak onto the podium.

We must not forget about another rider who has barely made any noise like the Italians, but who is a cyclist who knows what it takes to win a grand tour. We are talking about Simon Yates, who remains hidden but has the class to make a decisive move at the right moment. Surely the British rider has his eye on Saturday's stage, the Colle delle Finestre, where he experienced hell when, in the 2018 Giro d'Italia, Chris Froome snatched away a Giro victory that seemed to be his. Visma-Lease a Bike's rider surely has that stage chosen to make a big comeback.

The last week of the 2025 Giro d'Italia, as is usual in the Italian race, concentrates practically all the mountain stages of this edition. Starting with the stage on Tuesday, a tremendous chain in the pre-Alpine terrain with a finish on the tough and long climb of San Valentino as the culmination of a stage of over 200 kilometers in which the cyclists will have to overcome three other ascents.

With barely any rest, stage 17, although on paper less demanding than the previous day, includes the passage through the Mortirolo, albeit on its gentler side, which is still a demanding climb. In addition, the route after this climb towards Bormio is a tough leg-breaker that could lead to a tactical trap that shakes up the race when least expected.

A respite for the favorites in stage 18, the penultimate opportunity, along with the final stage in Rome, for Mads Pedersen to continue adding to his victory count if another fast rider doesn't prevent it.

Stage 19 heads towards the tough climbs of the Aosta Valley with another alpine chain that is intimidating. Serra, Tzecore, Saint Pantaleon, Col de Joux, and Antagnod, with a dizzying descent towards the finish in Champoluc, offer a terrain conducive to creating significant differences as long as the favorites do not want to leave everything for stage 20, where the mere presence of the Colle delle Finestre and the traditional link to the finish in Sestriere are enough to turn the race upside down on one of the toughest climbs in the Giro d'Italia with its characteristic final part on dirt.

There is plenty of terrain to explode the road, but will Isaac del Toro be able to withstand the monumental level he has been showing throughout the Giro in his first grand tour, or will he end up paying for it? What is Ayuso's true form? Does Primoz Roglic still have a chance to make a move in the Giro? Will the wild and blessed attacks of Carapaz and Bernal have an effect? Will Simon Yates finally get rid of the thorn that has been haunting him since 2018? All the answers will come next Sunday.