Pogacar's absence from Giro d'Italia may offer breath of fresh air for competition

Irish Examiner

08-05-2025

The 2025 Giro d'Italia may lack the star power of the Tour de France, but it is likely to make up for it with dynamic and unpredictable racing when it gets under way in Tirana on Friday.
Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel, the top three riders in last year's Tour de France, are not racing, but the Giro will, as ever, throw up plentiful drama.
Even so, this year's lineup has been characterised by some as a cast of Pogacar-avoidant wannabes, nearly men and fading champions that have travelled to Albania for the Grande Partenza.
That's a little unfair on a quality field that includes the past Giro winners Primoz Roglic and his Bora Hansgrohe teammate Jai Hindley, the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz and a resurgent Egan Bernal, the Colombian climber leading Ineos Grenadiers.
Yet it only serves to emphasise the dominance of the seemingly unstoppable Pogacar – who rather than defend his title, has opted to focus on July's Tour de France – that so much of the pre-race chat has been about the Slovenian's absence. Even the 2023 Giro champion, Roglic, when asked about his 2025 schedule said: 'I will choose the races where Tadej is not.' But total dominance, in any sport, can become predictable. Certainly, given his form, the absence of Pogacar will increase the ambition of many in the peloton. In that sense, the Giro may be a breath of fresh air.
With the 35-year-old Roglic starting as favourite, thanks to a Grand Tour record that includes four wins in the Vuelta, this Giro will be volatile and unpredictable, as a plethora of riders see it as their best chance to succeed in a Grand Tour, while Pogacar is active.
Roglic also sees the Giro as a chance to boost his morale, before another July showdown with compatriot Pogacar. Roglic's team manager, Rolf Aldag, said this spring: 'Do you go into the Tour with uncertainty, facing what seems to be an unbeatable Pogacar? Or do you arrive feeling ready, because you've already proven yourself?'
For others, such as Tom Pidcock, it's an opportunity to be grabbed with both hands. The double Olympic champion, having left Ineos Grenadiers last winter for the more modest Q36.5 team, has re-established himself as one of road racing's hot talents. Even so, he has ruled himself out of overall contention. 'We're here to pick our moments,' he said of his debut appearance in the Italian race. His team, which qualified as a wildcard based on his early-season form, is largely happy just to be there.
But Pidcock will already be eyeing the opening three stages on Albanian soil which include two days of punchy mid-length climbs sandwiching Saturday's short individual time trial, looping in and out of Tirana. 'Mainly I just want to race, get stuck in every day and enjoy racing the Giro,' Pidcock said. 'I think the opportunities will come if I do that. I have a good relationship with Italy and this is one of the races I've wanted to do.'
While Roglic will be seeking to stamp his authority on the general classification, particularly in that early test against the clock, a clutch of others will also want to assert themselves. Perhaps the greatest threat comes from Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates stablemate Juan Ayuso. The Spaniard has never seemed entirely happy to race in Pogacar's shadow and revealed that he had hoped to lead his team in last year's Giro, a race that his team leader won by almost 10 minutes.
The 22-year-old does not lack in ambition and has already said: 'It would be a disappointment not to finish in the top three, because I would consider that a step backwards.' Wout van Aert has been sick in recent days and ruled himself out of contending for the leader's maglia rosa. 'My preparation was not ideal,' he admitted, 'but we will see day by day, without big expectations.'
Van Aert's teammate Simon Yates may be one of those able to threaten what on paper looks likely to be a Roglic-Ayuso duel. The pair have already gone head to head this season, in March's Volta a Catalunya, with Roglic snatching overall victory on the final day.
Bernal, who won the Tour de France and Giro before his career was threatened by a horrific high-speed training crash in 2022, remains unsure if he can ever attain his past levels of performance. 'I don't know,' the Ineos Grenadiers leader said, 'but at least I'm still preparing myself for that. Every morning I get up, try to do my best. I'm still believing, battling every day. I enjoy cycling more now than when I was winning, so we will see.'
Guardian