Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
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Upcoming racing:
- May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia
- May 11: Tro-Bro Léon
Latest completed racing:
- April 27 - May 4: Tour of Turkey
- April 29 - May 4: Tour de Romandie
- May 1: Rund um den Finanzplaz Eschborn-Frankfurt
- April 27: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
- April 24 - 27: Vuelta Asturias
- April 21 - 25: Tour of the Alps
- April 23: La Flèche Wallonne
- April 20: Amstel Gold Race
- April 20: Tour du Doubs
- April 15 - 18: Giro d'Abruzzo
- April 18: De Brabantse Pijl
Here's the post from Ewen's Team INEOS Grenadiers:
A message from Caleb Ewan:
After much thought, I’ve decided to retire from professional cycling, effective immediately. This sport has been a major part of my life, shaping my path and offering experiences I’ll carry with me forever.
Over the course of my 11-year career, I’ve accomplished more than I ever imagined possible. From personal milestones to professional achievements, the journey has exceeded every expectation I once had, and I’m deeply grateful for the opportunities, challenges, and growth that have shaped my life.
Caleb Ewan winning the second stage of the 2025 Tour of the Basque Country. Sprint Cycling photo
For as long as I can remember, my world has revolved around racing. The intense routine, the sacrifice, the search for constant improvement, the hunger to win — it’s been my rhythm, my identity. But what once felt like everything to me no longer does. The last few years haven’t been easy but in 2025 I found something again — not just legs, but belief — thanks to the INEOS Grenadiers. They gave me space, trust, and the environment to rediscover what I am capable of. I won again. I felt like myself again and I felt respected again. For that, I can’t thank them enough.
But the truth is that even when I crossed the line first, that feeling — the one you chase for years — faded quicker than it used to. My experiences of the past two seasons, in particular the second half of 2024, has taken a significant toll on my relationship with the sport. I'm happy I didn’t let that period define the end of my career and I am proud of what I achieved in a short but successful time with the INEOS Grenadiers.
There are so many people to thank — too many to list — who’ve supported me, challenged me, and believed in me throughout the years, and I would like to mention a few: John Allert, Scott Drawer, Mehdi Kordi, Paddy Harrison, and everyone at INEOS Grenadiers. You helped me write one last chapter the way I wanted to. You helped me walk away with pride — on my terms. The team is most definitely on the right path with such an exciting future, and I look forward to supporting INEOS Grenadiers forever after.
To teammates and staff members at my former teams, especially the ones who worked closely with me, thank you for the battles we fought and the wins we celebrated. Together, we lived the dream — winning on some of cycling’s biggest stages. Those memories and friendships will stay with me forever.
To my country — wearing the green and gold has been one of the greatest honours of my career. Representing Australia has always meant something special to me. No matter where I was racing in the world, I felt the support from back home. That encouragement, from fans, family, and everyone who followed my journey, has meant more than I can put into words.
To my long-term manager Jason, thank you for the selfless support that went far beyond what was expected. Your dedication to me has meant more than words can express.
To my parents — thank you for everything you gave to help me chase this dream. From the early mornings and long drives to the sacrifices you made so I could race — I wouldn’t have made it to where I have without your support. You believed in me before anyone else did, and I’ll always be grateful for the foundation you gave me.
And finally, to my wife and kids— thank you for riding every part of this emotional rollercoaster with me. Through the highest highs and the toughest lows, you were always there — cheering me on, picking me up, and reminding me what really matters.
This journey hasn’t just been mine; it’s been ours. Your love, patience and belief never wavered, even when things were hard. I couldn’t have done any of it without you.
Thank you.
John Allert, INEOS Grenadiers CEO:
Thank you Caleb, on behalf of INEOS Grenadiers and everyone in our beautiful sport, for thrilling us with your unique and explosive brand of racing.
You leave the sport with our respect and best wishes, and as a winner - in every sense of the word.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG posted this announcement:
UAE Team Emirates-XRG will head to the 108th Giro d’Italia sporting a team full of talent, led by the two-pronged attack of Adam Yates and Juan Ayuso in the mountains. Both riders have enjoyed fine seasons to date and will look to continue the Emirati squad’s magnificent record in the Corsa Rosa.
Last year, it was Tadej Pogačar who took UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s first Giro d’Italia title, building on João Almeida’s terrific third-place finish in 2023. The former claimed six remarkable stage victories on his way to sealing the maglia rosa, whilst Almeida became the latest in a list of riders to take stages for UAE Team Emirates-XRG a year prior.
2024 Giro d'Italia winner Tadej Pogacar. Sirotti photo
Since Jan Polanc took the Emirati outfit’s first-ever Grand Tour stage win in 2017, the Slovenian’s success has been replicated by Fernando Gaviria (2019), Diego Ulissi (twice, 2020), Joe Dombrowski (2021), and Alessandro Covi (2022).
Aiming for more success this time out, Yates and Ayuso will be joined by a mighty stable of teammates, including former Giro stage winner Brandon McNulty. The American will be ably assisted by Igor Arrieta, Filippo Baroncini, Isaac del Toro, Rafał Majka, and Jay Vine. For Arrieta, this Giro will present his debut at a Grand Tour, whilst Ayuso, Baroncini and Del Toro will all be making their first appearances at the first Grand Tour of the season.
For Ayuso, the race presents a natural next step in his fledgling career. The Spaniard won the ‘Baby Giro’ back in 2021, where he was supported by Baroncini, and has twice finished inside the top four at the Vuelta a España. Now 22 years of age, Ayuso has enjoyed his best start to a season to date, with victories at the Faun Drôme Classic, Trofeo Laigueglia, Tirreno-Adriatico, and on stage 3 of the Volta a Catalunya.
As he prepares for his maiden tilt at the Giro d’Italia, the Spaniard is excited by the prospect.
Ayuso: “I’m really excited to start my first Giro D’Italia. It’s extra special because it’s a new race for me and having raced for an Italian team (Colpak) before I turned professional and winning the Baby Giro in 2021 I feel I have a special connection with Italy.
"It’s been a great start to the year, with some special victories both for me personally and for the team. The goal is to keep that run and that spirit going for the Giro D’Italia. I think we have the strongest team in the race and I feel that is our biggest strength. We have strong rivals in the GC, with Roglic in particular, but we are ready for the challenge. ”
For Yates, a return to the Corsa Rosa has been a long time in the making, with the British climber finishing ninth overall as a young rider some eight years ago. That year, the runner-up in the youth classification finished ed inside the top 10 across seven stages, and the now-32-year-old is looking forward to making his return. >Yates: “The Giro is one of the biggest races on the calendar and I can’t wait to get stuck-in. I’ve had a solid preparation period with the team at altitude, and I feel ready to take on the challenge. We’re coming in with big goals, and personally, I’m motivated to race hard and go for a good result. Between myself and Juan I think we should be able to have a good crack on the the GC and try to defend the title, and I’m looking forward to getting started in what I hope will be a very competitive three weeks.”
The full UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad for the Cosa Rosa is as follows:
– Igor Arrieta (Spa)
– Juan Ayuso (Spa)
– Filippo Baroncini (Ita)
– Isaac del Toro (Mex)
– Rafał Majka (Pol)
– Brandon McNulty (USA)
– Jay Vine (Aus)
– Adam Yates (GB)
The eight-strong team will be led by Sports Directors Fabio Baldato (Ita), Fabrizio Guidi (Ita), and Manuele Mori (Ita).
Before home roads welcome the trio in Italy, however, this year’s Giro d’Italia will host its Grande Partenza in Albania for the first time in history. The first three stages of the 108th Giro will take place in the Balkans, including an important 13.7km individual time trial on stage 2. Through the majority of the first week, hostilities will cease between the general classification contenders, before stage 9 presents an ode to Strade Bianche.
Finishing within the Piazza del Campo in Siena, made famous by the fan-favourite race, stage 9 features five sectors of the infamous white gravel roads inside the final 70km.
The following day, another test against the clock awaits, with stage 10 taking the shape of a 28.6km time trial.
As is traditional in the Giro, the final week of racing will prove the most difficult and ultimately decide the overall winner. After the Monte Grappa takes the Giro to searing heights at the end of the second week, stages 16 and 17 will not be for the faint-hearted, as the third week gets underway with a bang.
On the penultimate day, the route is scheduled to include the Colle Delle Finestre, before heading to Sestrière for the finale of stage 20. Of course, the final stage will take in the usual lap of Rome and allow the hardy sprinters one more time for shine, whilst the winner of the Maglia Rosa will be crowned to much aplomb.
With big ambitions, a team raring to go and 37 victories already in the bank for 2025, UAE Team Emirates-XRG head to Italy full of confidence for the first Grand Tour of the campaign.
Here's Team XDS Astana's list of Giro riders:
XDS Astana Team is ready for the first Grand Tour of the season - the Giro d'Italia, which will start in Durrës, Albania on May 9th and will finish in Rome, Italy on June 1st.
Wout Poels finishing stage 17 of the 2022 Giro. Sirotti photo
Rider roster: Nicola Conci, Lorenzo Fortunato, Anton Kuzmin, Max Kanter, Fausto Masnada, Wout Poels, Christian Scaroni, Diego Ulissi.
Sports directors: Alexandr Shefer, Mario Manzoni, Dario Cataldo.
Presented by Samruk-Kazyna and Sports Support Foundation SportQory.
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Here's the Giro annoucement from Team Bahrain Victorious:
For professional cycling fans, the start of May means but one thing: the first ‘Grand Tour’ of the season, The Giro d’Italia. Friday sees the start of the 108th edition of the event dubbed ‘the world’s toughest race, in the world’s most beautiful place’.
The Giro team:
- Antonio Tiberi
- Pello Bilbao
- Damiano Caruso
- Afonso Eulalio
- Matevz Govekar
- Fran Miholjevic
- Andrea Pasqualon
- Edoardo Zambanini
Since the team’s inception in 2017, Bahrain Victorious have enjoyed considerable success at The Giro, winning eight stages in eight participations. In addition, the team has been on the GC podium four times, won the points classification in 2023, and the youth classification 12 months ago, making La Corsa Rosa comfortably our most successful of the three Grand Tours.
In 2024 it was Antonio Tiberi, making his debut on home roads, who took the white jersey for the best young rider. The 23 year old held the jersey from stage 11 until Rome with a combination of tenacity and audacity, and it will be Tiberi who leads Bahrain over the upcoming three weeks. As he was last year, Gorazd Štangelj is lead Sports Director, and is very clear about the team’s focus:
Antonio Tiberi finishing stage 20 of the 2024 Giro in the Best Young Rider's white jersey. Sirotti phnoto
“We have one clear objective: Antonio for the GC to try to make it onto the podium. He is the one and only leader of the team, and if everything goes as we would like or as we are planning, then yes, full focus on this.
"Antonio’s biggest, let’s say, challenge are the two time trials where we would like to gain some time. Then it’s the last few days, especially stages 19 & 20, where we expect the biggest battle. Probably he will be mostly on here his own against other GC riders to show the quality.”
Tiberi himself seems undaunted by the responsibility on his young shoulders, and is excited to start his home Grand Tour for a second time in the coming days.
“I’m definitely very, very happy to participate in the Giro d’Italia again and I can’t wait to start. These days I’ve been working really well, and the legs seem good, so let’s go! Damiano [Caruso] and I work well together, so let’s see how the sensations are in the race. I can’t wait to leave and try to do my best.”
This year the ‘Grande Partenza’ will take place outside Italian territory for a 15th time, dating back to 1965 when the 81 starters set out from San Marino. In 2025, the host nation will be Albania, where the riders will contest three stages. The first and third – both 160km – have been classified as ‘Medium Mountain’ stages, with some climbing, but where almost anything is possible. That could be early skirmishes in the GC, breakaways seizing the day, or sprinters’ teams trying to take control. Sandwiched between them is a 13.7km individual time trial in the capital city of Tirana. It is mostly flat but does have a short climb (1.4km, 5% average gradient) in the middle.
It is the first of two tests against the clock, the second of which comes in Tuscany on stage 10. Once again it is relatively flat with a short incline midway through the 28.6km between Lucca and Pisa. Although neither ITT appears challenging or long enough to make a significant impression on the overall standings, Štangelj believes they could still be important.
“Every stage can be GC stage. There are two time trials where we hope to gain some time on other GC contenders, and plenty of stages where our objective is just not to lose time. The biggest aim is actually before we even get to the start … to arrive healthy and stay healthy! That’s our biggest objective at the moment, and then yes, gain time on GC contenders during the time trials.
The race itself is quite traditional I would say. It’s always chaotic at the beginning, especially with the start in Albania – we don’t know what is coming. It’s too early panic but to approach it with some caution is probably not a bad thing. When we arrive we will go to see stage 1, or at least the closing parts, and the time trial. Stage 3 is a bit more complicated to get to know the roads, so we will rely more on streetview etc.”
The Albanian portion of Giro 108 concludes in the coastal town of Vlorë, from where it’s a relatively short boat trip to the ‘heel’ of Italy, venue for stages 4 & 5, before stage 6 sees a finish in Naples for the fourth consecutive year. All three are classed as ‘low difficulty’, but each has its own nuances. The first day on the mainland should be one for the pure sprinters; 189km from Alberobello to Lecce. That is followed by a shorter but hillier route from Ceglie Messapica. The last third of the 145km is almost all uphill, and ends with a rise to the hilltop city of Matera. Thursday’s arrival in Naples means a switch to the western coast, and at 227km, is the longest of the 21 stages. The road from Potenza includes over 2500m of elevation gain, but all in the first 150km. After that it’s a pan flat run to the capital of Campania.
The Giro usually features a wide variety of stage profiles, and 2025 is no exception, with the toughest mountains concentrated in the third week. But the first time the climbers will get to test their legs comes on stage 7, which contains three categorised climbs before a summit finish at Tagliacozzo (12.6km, 5.4%). The climb has never featured in the race before, and gets progressively steeper as it unfolds.
In the high mountains Tiberi will have the support of three expert climbers: Damiano Caruso who was runner up here in 2021, brings a wealth of experience and has shown impressive form in recent weeks. He is joined by another Italian, 24 year old Italian Edoardo Zambanini, on the startlist for the third consecutive year, and double stage winner in 2019, Pello Bilbao. Štangelj says that every rider has a clearly defined role.
"We have a really balanced team, with mountain support, mid mountain support; we are covered everywhere. We also have riders who we can count on when we need someone in the breakaway or even winning from a breakaway."
Damiano is road captain, and the shadow of Antonio during all the race. He also has some personal objectives to join some breaks and try for a stage win. If there is going to be the space for it, we hope for it. So this is his goal.
Pello’s role is similar to Damiano, he will shadow Antonio as mountain support for him, and he will also have the chances to fight for the stage win. Especially the gravel one where he’s normally good on Strade Bianche and he points out this stage that he will like a lot.
The stage to which he refers is on Sunday, and could be one of this year’s pivotal race days. The road from Gubbio to Siena includes 28.9km of the white roads that give ‘Strade Bianche’ its name. It’s a surface on which Bilbao loves to ride, having finished top ten on all four occasions he has started at the Italian spring classic. There are five gravel sectors, four of which were part of the 2024 Strade Bianche route. The same is true of the closing kilometres, including the explosive final climb up the renowned Via Santa Caterina in Siena.
The previous day the peloton will have completed 197km in the Appenines, starting from Giulianova and ending in Castelraimondo. a finish previously seen in Tirreno-Adriatico. It is an archetypal Giro stage with plenty of climbs throughout, offering hope to breakaway specialists and tempting the GC contenders into action. But we expect many in the peloton to keep their powder dry for those crucial gravel tracks to come before the first rest day.
Both stages 8 and 9 are ‘medium mountains’, and Štangelj introduces two members of the team who were selected for those days:
“Edoardo is mid-mountain support, and one of the fastest riders we have in the team. He also showed us a few stages where he would like to have the freedom to play his cards and again, hopefully we can give him this."
Fran Miholjevic will be flat and mid mountain support and he’s really a master of positioning people at the crucial time, crosswinds and so on. Antonio and other guys really trust him and he’s good at moving in the peloton. So we are very happy to have such a support rider on the team roster, and Fran hopefully can have some personal team chances and cards to play too.
After the Tuscan Time Trial that opens week two, the fight for the pink jersey and the ‘Trofeo Senza Fine’ continues its journey north, with an unpredictable 11th stage from Viareggio to Castelnuovo Ne Monti. Halfway through the 186km comes the first category ‘San Pellegrino in Alpe’ which is over 14 kilometers long at 8%. Last raced 25 years ago in the Giro, it has gradients hitting 20% and is one of this year’s most punishing climbs.
Thursday is an opportunity for the sprinters. The 172km from Modena to Viadana does have three categorised hills, but the last 80km are completely flat. With a clear GC target, these stages are not a goal for the Bahrain team, but should the occasion present itself, Štangelj says they will be ready.
We have Matevž Govekar here as support on the flat. He’s the fastest rider in the team, but as all the focus is on GC with Antonio, we will see how many chances Matevž can have for himself. Stage 14 to Nova Goritza, finishes close to his home, so if everything else is in place, he can go for the stage result.
The most experienced rider in the team after Damiano is Andrea Pasqualon. He’s here as pure flat support and I expect a lot from him at the beginning of every stage, especially when it’s windy or when positioning will be required to save energy. And if the situation comes where Matevz can has a possibility, Andrea will be his lead out man.
Stage 13 is 180 fairly straightforward kilometres from Rovigo to Vicenza. The bunch will have to go over the famous Monte Berico, before completing two laps of a 20.3km circuit which includes a second pass of Monte Berico, before an uphill final kilometre averaging 7%.
The weekend starts with another flat stage, through the ‘Veneto Plain’ from Treviso. The last 46km are across the border in Slovenia, with three small climbs before a predicted bunch sprint in Nova Gorica.
With 14 stages completed, riders will be looking forward to another rest day, but the route designers are making them earn it. On Sunday they will have to take on their second day in the ‘high mountains’. It’s a 214km ride from Fiume Veneto, with the arduous Monte Grappa taking prominence. A total of nearly 4,000 vertical metres makes this a bona fide test for the climbers, with the finish in Asiago a copy of 2017’s penultimate stage, which saw a thrilling GC battle. The Giro directors will be hoping for the same again.
The blend of experience and youth that has characterised the Bahrain team this season is epitomised by the final member of the line up for this year’s Giro. 23 year old Afonso Eulálio from Portugal is in his first season on the World Tour, but has already ridden five stage races, as well as Strade Bianche. He is a rider with great potential, and Štangelj believes he will not only learn a great deal on his first grand tour, but can also be a valuable asset over the next three weeks.
“The youngest and the least experienced, Afonso, at his first grand tour in his life. We actually don’t know how far we can go with his boy, but he looks good, so far. We trust him and we decided to give him the opportunity on a Grand Tour. Sometimes he shows great condition and the next day he does less than expected, but if he will be at least a few of stages where we would like to have him, then, this is good for the team and good for him to grow up and it’s also investment in his future.”
The total distance of the 2025 Giro is 3443.3km, split into 21 stages. Six are designated as ‘low difficulty’, eight medium, and five in the high mountains, four of which come in the last seven days. The final week in Italy is always fiendishly hard, and will be once again, as the peloton will face the steep slopes of mythical climbs such as Passo Mortirolo and Colle delle Finestre.
Štangelj rode the Giro himself ten times between 1999 & 2011, and understands what lies in wait in week three.
“The last week is the brutal one – that’s when we’ll see if the jersey is on the right rider’s shoulders or if it will change hands. That’s where the winner of the race will be decided. I would say especially stages 19 & 20 look particularly tough, and as long as the weather doesn’t make it necessary to change the planned route we can look forward to a big fight there.”
The closing week starts with a vicious 16th stage. Five significant climbs and a summit finish at San Valentino, 17 kilometers long at 6.5% will reveal who has recovered well from two weeks of hard racing, and who has enough left to fight for glory in Rome. It’s a day for the pure climbers, and will carry a lot of weight in the final reckoning for the fabled ‘Maglia Rosa’.
Wednesday’s 155km route from San Michele All-Adige to Bormio has two big name headliners: the Passo del Tonale (15.1km, 6.1%) and the Mortirolo (12km, 7.6%). The last 33.5km is on rolling roads to the arrival in Bormio.
Following that savage start to the final week, stage 18 gives the climbers something of an easier day in the saddle, as the sprinters have another chance to shine. A flat start in Morbegno opens the 144km route to Cesano Maderno. There will be a big fight to get in a strong breakaway, and whether they make it will most likely be determined on the two laps of a 12.5km finishing circuit.
Stages 19 & 20 could well be where this year’s Giro champion is decided. Friday’s high mountains in the Val d’Aosta will present 4,950 metres of elevation gain across 166km. There are five major climbs between Biella and Champoluc:
The Croce Serra (3rd cat, 9.1km, 3.8%) comes almost immediately, before the Col Tzecore (1st cat, 16km, 7.7%, max 15%), the Col Saint-Pantaléon (1st cat, 16.5km, 7.2%, max 12%), the Col de Joux (1st cat, 15.1km, 6.9%, max 12%), and finally Antagnod (2nd cat, 8.7km, 5%).
With so much uphill comes plenty of downhill, so skilful descending will also be crucial on a day requiring endurance, persistence and top condition.
The culmination of a three-week battle to decide who will be crowned the champion of the 2025 Giro d’Italia comes on Saturday, which many see as the ‘Queen Stage’, and which echoes the 19th stage from the 2018 edition. That day seven years ago saw a now- legendary 80km solo attack from Chris Froome which turned the race on its head. This time around it’s the Colle del Lys (2nd cat, 13.6km, 4.2%), followed by the ridiculously tough Colle delle Finestre (HC, 18km, 9%) which is a full hour’s effort peaking at over 2000m, almost half of which is on a loose gravel road surface. The day ends with the small matter of a summit finish in Sestriere (3rd cat, 17km, 5-6%).
After the gargantuan efforts of the 20 previous race days, the entire race caravan travels 780km to Rome for the traditional grand finale. Stage 21 is 141km starting on the Tyrrhenian coast at Lido di Ostia and closing with eight laps of the 9.5km city circuit.
Bahrain Victorious are full of confidence following an excellent set of recent results in Romandie, Paris-Nice, Tour of the Alps & Tirreno-Adriatico. With an impressive Giro record, and a singular objective to support our leader Antonio Tiberi, the team is looking forward to achieving the best possible results in Italy between Friday 9th May and Sunday 1st June.
The final word goes to our leader for this month in Italy, Antonio Tiberi, who has high, but realistic, hopes for these three weeks riding in front of his home fans whose support he values so much:
“I will try every way possible to get to Rome on the highest step of the podium I can, but it’s a more realistic goal would be just to make the podium. And I would be extremely satisfied and proud if I could entered to be able to get to Rome on the podium, and and I will do everything, and give everything, to do that”
Forza Ragazzi!
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Here's the Giro rider announcement from Team Israel-Premier Tech:
Derek Gee will return to the Giro d’Italia after his breakthrough performance in 2023, this time leading a strong IPT team in pursuit of both daily and overall success.
“The Giro definitely has a special place in my heart. This is where I had my first big results. The crowds were amazing, and I’m super motivated for this whole race. To come back to the Giro is really special to me,” Gee says.
Unlike the daily stage hunting that saw Gee become a fan favorite in 2023, this time the focus will be on finishing as high as possible in the general classification.
Derek Gee finishing stage 19 of the 2023 Giro d'Italia. Sirotti photo
“It was pretty special to be hunting for stages two years ago, but this time I’ll have a different and more ambitious goal – thinking of the GC. I don’t want to put a specific number on what my expectations are for the general classification, I just want to continue building on what we’ve already achieved this season. Then, hopefully, in Rome, we can look back and have a good number on the board. I really just want to do the best race I can.”
To support Gee, IPT will line up with the following riders at the Grande Partenza in Albania on May 9: Corbin Strong, Hugo Houle, Jakob Fuglsang, Jan Hirt, Marco Frigo, Nick Schultz, and Simon Clarke – a versatile group also capable of aiming for stage glory.
Sports director Sam Bewley explains: “It’s no secret that we are going to the Giro d’Italia to ride the GC with Derek. We believe that with his abilities and physical capacities, we can do a really good GC with him. Of course, we want to win stages at the Giro too, and we’ve got a number of guys capable of doing that. There should be plenty of opportunities for breakaways to succeed this year, and we’ve got some really good guys to be part of that. Furthermore, there are a lot of punchy, uphill finishes this year that really suit Corbin.
“Overall, we’ve got a well-rounded group, with the main objective being the GC while also trying to pick up a few stage wins along the way.”
Last year, Gee changed his focus midway through the season to test himself in the general classification at the Critérium du Dauphiné. He surprised many by finishing on the overall podium in third place before going to the Tour de France and take ninth place in the GC. This year, the 27-year-old Canadian has already tasted stage race success in form of his overall victory in Gran Camiño and third place in Tour of the Alps. Now, it’s time for the big test in the Giro d’Italia.
As this will be the first time Gee targets the GC at a Grand Tour from the start of the season, Bewley highlights the importance of having an experienced group of riders around the Canadian team leader.
“We felt that it was really important to surround Derek with experienced guys, and we’ve got quite a lot of depth when it comes to experience in our group, with the likes of Simon Clarke, Jakob Fuglsang, Jan Hirt, Nick Schultz, and Hugo Houle. All of these guys have a history of riding in support of leaders at Grand Tours or riding GC themselves, so we felt it was important to have them here. They have been racing together a lot throughout the season already, really connecting as a group, and they have all prepared really well for this Giro. We are ready.”
Gee, too, points to the strong and experienced group around him as a key factor in having a good race.
“I think the team has been great all year. The core group of us has raced together at every race, and it has just been incredible. We have such good chemistry as a team, and hopefully, we can translate that into getting some good results. I’m really looking forward to this Giro!”
IPT at the Giro d’Italia (Friday May 9 – Sunday June 1)
Riders: Derek Gee (CAN), Corbin Strong (NZL), Hugo Houle (CAN), Jakob Fuglsang (DEN), Jan Hirt (CZE), Marco Frigo (ITA), Nick Schultz (AUS) and Simon Clarke (AUS)
Sports Directors: Sam Bewley (NZL), Daryl Impey (RSA), Pat McCarty (USA).
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And here's the Giro roster announcement from Team Q36.5:
Tom Pidcock leads the team at the Giro d’Italia Grande Partenza in Albania on Friday May 9. Joining him are Xabier Mikel Azparren (ESP), Nick Zukowsky (CAN), Matteo Moschetti (ITA), Damien Howson (AUS), Mark Donovan (GBR), Milan Vader (NED) and Emīls Liepiņš (LAT).
The sports directors are Gabriele Missaglia, Daniele Nieri, Kurt Bogaerts and Jens Zemke.
Tom Pidcock checking the 2025 Liège-Bastogne-Liège course. Sirotti photo
“This is our first Grand Tour and it’s really something special”, says general manager Doug Ryder. “Our Italian title partner Q36.5 has an extreme vision of the future of cycling clothing. To be able to represent this brand in Italy’s greatest race is a privilege.”
“We have prepared this race well, with the utmost precision, so our eight riders can perform to the best of their ability supported by a dedicated group of staff working together with such unity. I’m incredibly proud to see this team come together in the fight for results.”
Team leader Tom Pidcock wants to continue on his good form from the Ardennes Classics.
“This is my first Giro d’Italia and I am excited,” said Tom Pidcock. “Racing in Italy is always special, and I’ve got a lot of great memories from racing there. It’s a fantastic opportunity for us as a team and we have a responsibility to show we are worthy of that opportunity. I believe the whole team is going with a mission to show ourselves as Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.”
“For me personally I come with high ambitions and with the form I’ve carried from the Ardennes I know the legs will be there. Of course, there are many opportunities, but we are going to plan well and pick our moments”
Sports director Gabriele Missaglia is passionate about racing and even more about racing in Italy. He approaches the Giro d’Italia as 21 opportunities to get a good result.
“We are proud to be in the race. My last Giro d’Italia was in 2021 with Team Qhubeka and we won three stages,” says Gabriele Missaglia. “Our ambition this year is not to start with one goal like the general classification. We look at the race day by day. We hope to win stages with Tom or with Matteo. For Matteo there are five or six sprint opportunities. For Tom, who is our team leader, this is a perfect course with several opportunities for his type of rider. The Giro d’Italia is an open race this year so all our riders will have opportunities in a breakaway situation. I look forward to racing as a team.”
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team to Giro d’Italia:
Riders: Tom Pidcock, Xabier Mikel Azparren, Nick Zukowsky, Matteo Moschetti, Damien Howson, Mark Donovan, Milan Vader and Emīls Liepiņš.
Sports directors: Gabriele Missaglia, Daniele Nieri, Kurt Bogaerts and Jens Zemke.
Mechanics: Luca Catabiani, Edgar Coso Ferrer, Andrei Kunitski, Joaquin Sobrino and Jurgen Landrie
Soigneurs: Xenia De Roose, Ton de Vaan, Gunther Landrie, Leonardo Moggio, Albert Poblet and Marco Morais
Communications staff: Karselle Moodley and Adam Nunn
Coaching staff: Carles Tur
Medical staff: Madlaine Müller, Christian Wegmann and Caroline Heinen-Vees
Nutritionists and chef: Peter Neirinckx, Adam Pluscinskí and Mateusz Gawelczyk
Bus driver: Michał Giemza
More Giro team announcements coming tomorrow.
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