The 106th Giro d’Italia is an entirely domestic affair, with the Grande Partenza kicking off an early stint in the Abruzzo region.
Unlike previous editions of the race, the 2023 Giro d’Italia offers up fewer mountain top finishes and, while there’s still plenty of elevation on offer, the three time trials are expected to play an equally important role in the GC. The lack of mountain top finishes played a large role in last year’s winner, Australian Jai Hindley, opting to skip the race in favor of the Tour de France.
The Pandemic Isn’t Over
The professional peloton has seen a rash of COVID-19 positives over the past several weeks, and while minimal precautions are in place, the rise in cases has already impacted the race. Trek-Segafredo’s Giulio Ciccone was positive last week and his symptoms haven’t improved; he’s out.
Unfortunately, expect to see at least a few riders leave the race due to positives, on top of the anticipated and regrettable run-of-the-mill stomach bugs and colds.
Throwback: 2020 Giro d’Italia Preview
Giro d’Italia Preview: (Our) Favorites
The race may actually benefit from the absence of Tadej Pogacar, although it seems like a matter of time before the Slovenian makes a run at the maglia rosa. Instead, a host of Grand Tour winners take the line with a mix of wily veterans and young phenoms vying for the win.
Remco Evenepoel
At just 23, Remco’s first Giro ended early and caused whispers that he wouldn’t deliver on his much bally-hooed hype. He was 22, and just a few months later, won the 2022 Vuelta. He’s fine.
In fact, he’s the odds-on favorite heading into the Giro after what would have been the unanimous “Ride of the Spring” with his dominate solo win at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, if only Pogacar’s Flanders display wasn’t equally impressive.
Still, his successful but short spring campaign leaves plenty of question marks over three weeks, especially having only finished one Grand Tour – it helps that he won it, of course.
Primoz Roglic
The King of Spain looks across the Mediterranean to pocket a Grand Tour that isn’t the Vuelta, which would be his first. He has been on the podium at the Giro before, but a win would spark new life for a 33-year old currently playing something like third fiddle at his own team behind Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert.
This year, he’s already won Catalunya and Tirreno-Adriatico and with a deep squad backing him up, he may be the better pick.
Tao Geoghegan Hart
If the head says Roglic, the heart says, well, Hart. The 2020 winner delivered one of the most exciting Giro wins ever to force Jai Hindley to out of pink in the final day. It was supposed to be the start of an Ineos Grenadier Grand Tour resurgence that didn’t – and still hasn’t – happen.
Instead, Hart was hardly noticeable the past two years and it’s only been this spring that his name has popped up, notably with a win at the Tour of the Alps. He was a solid third at Tirreno behind Roglic, but seems to be headed into the Giro in perfect form. Most importantly, Ineos is still deep and if Geraint Thomas is off the pace on early climbing stages (4 and 7 could see time gaps), then Hart will have a superdomestique at his disposal in the third week.
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