The strange case of the Giro d'Italia starting from Albania to finish with the new Pope

The first is that it starts from Albania, with three stages that wind through Tirana, Durazzo and Valona. Although it is the 15th departure from abroad, it is however the first time that it takes place in a country where cycling is still a pioneering sport and the bicycle, crushed by aggressive car traffic (the railway network used under the dictatorship in Albania is abandoned), is a means of transport for bold and penniless nonconformists.

Suffice it to say that so far the country of the Eagles has only had one professional cyclist, a certain Eugert Zhupa, who however grew up since he was a child in Reggio Emilia. In any case, in Tirana there is great anticipation for the Giro, considered, in addition to a great popular festival, even the "largest sporting event ever hosted in these parts". Even the schools will have reduced hours to allow all the kids from Durazzo to follow the first stage that after 160 km will end in Tirana.

The second stage, on Saturday 10, is instead a 13.7 km time trial from Tirana to Tirana. The triptych closes on Sunday 11 May, with another fairly challenging 160 km stage from Valona to Valona. Clearly this twinning of the Giro d'Italia with Albania is synergic to a more general twinning between our government and that of Prime Minister Edi Rama, a former basketball international who as a boy followed the exploits of Felice Gimondi and Vittorio Adorni at the Giro d'Italia on the Italian radio.

A choice, this one by Albania, that should not be too surprising. It is a tradition (and also a great business) of the pink race to start outside the borders. It has been done from Belgium, Ireland, Athens, Holland. In 2018, in less turbulent times, the tour started from Jerusalem and in 2022 from Hungary. For these three stages the Albanian government would have paid RCS around 8 million. A considerable amount if you consider that for a normal start you pay around 150 thousand euros and for a finish around 250 thousand. Figures to always be taken with approximation like the turnover of the Giro itself, which would be around 80 million (160 the Tour de France).

The second novelty, which however is no longer a novelty, is the absence of Tadej Pogacar, the new Merckx of cycling , already winner of the previous Giro d'Italia with almost ten minutes of advantage over the second, and absolute protagonist of the last spring classics: in all of which, in addition to having won the Flanders and the Liège-Bastogne-Liège, he has always managed to get on the podium. A star, the world champion, who inevitably makes the difference. Luckily for his rivals, Tadej preferred to skip a round of the carousel to arrive fresher at the next Tour de France, where he will face Jonas Vingegaard, the only one who can put a spoke in his wheels at the Grande Boucle.

So what? Who is in pole position? Considering that Belgian Remco Evenepoel, another 5-star big, will also be missing, on paper it looks like a Giro that is certainly more open and hard-fought than the previous one. With a generational challenge between the old guard, who dominated before the arrival of his majesty Pogacar, and a handful of youngsters who, taking advantage of the absence of the punisher, will try to finally become protagonists.

Any names? For sure, among the old favorites, there is another Slovenian, that Primoz Roglic who has already won in 2022 and who is always among the favorites at the Giro. Strong on climbs and in time trials, Roglic is however already 35 years old and has a team with many roosters in the henhouse starting with Jai Hindley (pink in 2023) and Dani Martinez (second in 2024). In this dream team, the Red Bull Bora, there is also our Giulio Pellizzari, a young revelation also in 2024.

Moving on to the Nouvelle vague, in the front row is the Spaniard Juan Ayuso, 22 years old, an excellent climber and also very gifted in time trials. Considered a sort of Messi or Yamal of cycling, the Spaniard starts with the aura of the predestined. Winner of the last Tirreno-Adriatico, with 13 successes in his curriculum, he rides with the same team (Uae-XRG) as Pogacar. The impression is that in the absence of his boss, the young Juan wants to give his first mark to the Giro. To prevent him, in addition to proven champions such as Egan Bernal, Richard Carapaz, Simon Yates and Nairo Quintana, it is hoped that our Giulio Ciccone and Antonio Tiberi will emerge. The Abruzzese, second in Liège, will focus above all on some stage feats. Best climber of the 2019 Giro and the 2023 Tour, Giulio returns to the roads of the Giro after two years of absence to give a complete meaning to his career. He is strong, but not very strong. Courageous but also subject to sudden breakdowns.

Antonio Tiberi, 23 years old, fifth with the white jersey of best young rider in the previous edition, is a different story. He is a little gem that must be protected but also finally put to the test, especially in the time trial. Fingers crossed, since Italian cycling, among the males, is increasingly in retreat.

The other gentlemen of the team are the usual ones: the Belgian Wout Van Aert, 30 years old, 49 victories, a great hunter of goals for the first time at the Giro. And then the British Thomas Pidcock, 25 years old and 9 victories, another one to keep an eye on in terms of the classification.

Let's conclude with some numbers. There are 21 stages with 3 rest days for a total of 3,443 kilometers. There are 184 starters for 23 teams. The route is tough, but not very tough, with two time trials (total 42.3 km), 38 km of dirt road, three uphill finishes, seven sprints. The most feared climbs are those of Mortirolo (Monno side, Bormio stage) and that of Colle delle Finestre (at an altitude of 2,178 meters) to be tackled on May 31st in the penultimate stage with the finish line in Sestiere.

Here in 2018 Chris Froome, with an incredible breakaway that lasted 2 hours and 23 minutes, overturned the standings by recovering almost 4 minutes on pink jersey Simon Yates. A wild ride that even overshadowed that of Marco Pantani on the Galibier at the 1998 Tour. Feats from cycling mythology. But surprises, even without Pogacar, are never lacking at the Giro.