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

Dominance of last year’s champion can become predictable and this event could be volatile with more opportunities for the peloton

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's Slovenian rider Primoz Roglic arrives for the opening ceremony and team presentation in Tirana, on May 7, 2025  Photo by LUCA BETTINI/AFP via Getty Images 

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.