Pogacar's Giro d'Italia absence offers hope to Roglic and Ayuso

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 today.

- Jeremy Whittle

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 who have travelled to Albania for the Grande Partenza. That's a little unfair on a quality field that includes past Giro winners in 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.