It’s May, the classic period has ended and this can only mean one thing: it’s Giro time. The Corsa Rosa is in charge of opening the calendar of the great tours starting this Saturday the 6th and hopes to offer great battles on the way to Rome, where on May 28 we will see a new winner of this historic stage tour crowned.
The fight for the pink jersey seems reserved for two colossi of these times such as Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel but in a race as tough as this many others will have options to be protagonists. The road will put everyone in their place but these are 10 cyclists called to shine in this Giro d’Italia.
The Slovenian has started the 2023 season in an unbeatable way. The victories in Tirreno-Adriatico and Volta a Catalunya endorse him, especially this second one where he knew how to beat the one who a priori will once again be his dance partner in this Giro. Primoz has never achieved the overall here, so in the absence of being able to place a Tour in his showcase, surely he will want to add a huge victory like this. Taking into account his performance in high finals and the 5 that will be in this Giro, his chances of victory are great.
To say that Remco Evenepoel is not a cyclist capable of winning big tours would be lying. The Belgian more than demonstrated his worth in the last Tour of Spain where he precisely beat Roglic. 8 months after that feat, the ‘pitbull’ can say that he has been world champion and that he has won another Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but he still has to command the Giro to show that he is a classicist and a vendomena in parts equal. He was baptized in La Vuelta and knows that he can confirm himself in the Giro, although for this he will have to overcome the man who beat him in Catalonia.
Despite the fact that under normal conditions he shouldn’t be at the level of the two giants that precede him on the list, João Almeida has nothing to envy anyone. In addition to the fact that the Portuguese does not lack legs, UAE presents a very solid formation with great mountain domestiques like Brandon McNulty or Jay Vine. The Giro is a difficult race to control and it would not be unreasonable to think that Almeida may have some chance of winning the pink jersey.
Mads Pedersen has never managed to win in the Giro. His two participations in 2017 and 2018 did not leave any victory for the Dane but that is expected to change this 2023. Trek’s is the most consolidated sprinter of a whole pack of sprinters who present credentials in this edition. The ‘volatas’ will be expensive but with 10 possible sprint finishes Pedersen will have plenty of options.
If we talk about sprinters, of course we must talk about Mark Cavendish. The British legend is another of the great claims of this edition full of speed. It will be his opportunity to prove himself in a scenario similar to the one that the Tour will find, his great objective of the season, and to see if Astana is capable of controlling the stages in his favor. Undoubtedly a man to keep in mind when the stage ends in a massive sprint.
The list of sprinters does not end here and Fernando Gaviria is going to be another candidate to win a stage. The Colombian will lead a Movistar Team that has changed its usual focus on grand tours to go in search of partial victories instead of seeking glory in the general. Gaviria has shown that he still has the speed that he once displayed and in the Giro he will want to increase his number of wins this season.
Although it may not seem like it, Tao Geoghegan Hart is the only cyclist in this edition who has a Giro to his credit, however, few consider him a real threat to the general classification. The truth is that he was not either in 2020 when he imposed himself on everyone. This 2023 comes as a second sword to help lead a powerful Ineos team that also aligns Geraint Thomas. The British team presents a very powerful 8, we’ll see if it’s enough to overthrow Roglic and Evenepoel.
Italian cycling is not at its best and the participation list confirms it. Without any apparent candidate for the general classification, the Italian ‘tifosi’ will have to entrust themselves to ‘Pippo’ if they want to see any stage victory. The first day’s prologue seems to be tailor-made for him, so it cannot be ruled out that the first wearer of the pink jersey could be an Italian.
Thibaut Pinot announced that at the end of this season he would hang up the bike, which means that this will be his last ride. It would be a surprise if the Frenchman was there to fight for important positions in the general classification, but he has accustomed us to a very good performance in grand tours and a top 10 finish is not unreasonable. One more farewell to one of the insignia of the squad in recent times.
The Irishman amazed the world during the week of flamenco classics by showing his great climbing skills despite his young age. At 22 years old, there is no better scenario than this Giro to claim his claim and taking into account that Educatio First does not bring a team with very marked hierarchies, the Dolomites could be an ideal place to prove that he is worthy of the reins of this squad.
