Top 10 riders I'm following at the Giro d’Italia 🇮🇹
From GC stars to underdogs and breakaway specialists, here are 10 riders with the most interesting narratives heading into the Giro
Hello subscribers,
You know what you get with Primož Roglič, Olav Kooij, and Mads Pedersen, and I’m expecting all three riders to leave a successful mark on this year’s Giro d’Italia.
Roglič is the red-hot favourite for a second maglia rosa, Kooij is still the best sprinter in the race - even with his preparation impaired - and Pedersen is too good not to win a stage.
And instead of picking out the best GC riders or best sprinters, and writing listicle upon listicle, and then the ultimate listicle of the top-10 listicles, I’ve highlighted 10 riders I believe head into the Giro d’Italia with either the most interesting narratives, a point to prove, or have gone under the radar and need to be watched.
I hope you enjoy the list, and please include who you’re looking out for in the comments below. And don’t forget, it’s 20% off an annual subscription right now. So for roughly £1 a week, you get all my transfer exclusives, interviews and race analysis.
Have a great day,
Daniel 🫶
Milan Fretin 🇧🇪
Team: Cofidis
Age: 24
Cédric Vasseur has faced significant criticism in recent months regarding his management style at Cofidis, but one bright spot for the former yellow jersey has been the recruitment of Milan Fretin. The Belgian rider was picked up from Team Flanders - Baloise at the end of 2023 after slipping through the cracks at Lotto’s U23 setup, and last season was solid, with a couple of wins and several highly promising performances at WorldTour level. The 24-year-old has continued to impress this season with a win in the Clasica de Almeria on his campaign debut, along with further victories at the Volta ao Algarve and the Ronde van Limburg.
Fretin achieved several top-five finishes in other races, and now the Belgian heads to the Giro d’Italia for his Grand Tour debut. I was fortunate to witness his powerful sprint firsthand when he won in Portugal earlier this year, and that was against a field not too dissimilar to the one he’ll face in Italy. He’ll start the Giro with very little pressure or expectation on his shoulders and a lead-out and squad with minimal GC aspirations to concern themselves with. All eyes are on Paul Magnier for a breakout Grand Tour performance, and that might happen, but don’t write off Fretin.
Juan Ayuso 🇪🇸
Team: UAE Team Emirates-XRG
Age: 22
We know exactly what to expect from Giro d’Italia favourite Primož Roglič. Therefore, he’s not on this list, but with Juan Ayuso, there are many more layers to his Giro preamble. He looked like a world beater earlier in the season before Roglič dismantled his defences on the final stage of Catalunya, and there’s also a narrative within UAE Team Emirates-XRG that suggests the Spaniard is sharing leadership with Adam Yates.
Roglič, meanwhile, has no such distractions, but looking back to the UAE team camp in December, the line of questioning around Ayuso focused on his desire for Grand Tour leadership and how that might clash with Tadej Pogačar in the future.
There were talks of unrest last year, which the team and Ayuso were quick to dispel over the winter. However, this represents a massive three weeks for the Spanish rider, especially given what Pogačar accomplished at the Giro last year.
No one expects Ayuso to repeat those ridiculous feats, but falling short of a win will diminish the perception that he can be trusted with Grand Tour leadership, at least in the short term. However, if he succeeds, we can anticipate another twelve months in which he races a separate programme from Pogačar, leading to renewed questions about his future at UAE and lack of opportunities at the Tour.
In a broader sense, it’s fascinating that Ayuso enters the Giro with more pressure on his shoulders than Roglič, despite not being the favourite.
Romain Bardet 🇫🇷
Team: Picnic PostNL
Age: 34
We’re into the final few throws of Bardet’s distinguished career, and there could be no better way for the Frenchman to bow out of his Grand Tour racing era with a memorable Giro d’Italia. The legs might not be what they used to be, but the veteran can still turn on the brilliance, and after a steady outing at the recent Tour of the Alps, the scene is set for one last Italian adventure. Knowing Bardet, there’s at least one more magnificent performance left in him, and while the Dauphine will be his final race before leaving the WorldTour, a rousing performance at the Giro d’Italia will only help to cement his legacy.
A stage win would make headlines, but what might be more impressive would be a super domestique role in which the Frenchman guides his apprentice Max Poole to top-ten glory.
At the same time, Picnic are in dire straits, fighting to save their WorldTour status - and right now, they’re in freefall. It will be interesting to see how the squad balances their immediate aims of success in the Giro, where they’ll need to roll the dice, with their requirement for UCI points. Those two ambitions don’t always align.