Take the pizza out of the oven, pop open a bottle of Prosecco and start practicing your expressive hand gestures. It's almost time for the Giro d'Italia, and for everything to turn a brilliant shade of pink for the rest of May.
Forget about the cold of the Classics, the cobbles and the dirt, and instead prepare for the beauty and tradition of the season's first Grand Tour. Three week's of racing around Italy is about to start, and we know what that means: punchy finishes, awesome climbs, and a lot of references to food and drink.
The Giro is known for an incredibly tough 21 days of racing, and this year is no exception, with four stages with over 4,000m of climbing, six summit finishes, and very few easy days. Add in the apocalyptic weather that often hits the peninsular in May, and the whole thing can get very unpredictable - whether or not there is one outstanding favourite.
While the start list is dominated by one name - Tadej Pogačar - and lacks a little lustre due to Wout van Aert pulling out, the result of the Giro is rarely a foregone conclusion. The race never follows the more predictable pattern of the Tour de France, and in Italy things often change when you least expect it.
CAN THE JESTER STEAL THE CROWN?
Young GC contender Cian Uijtdebroeks is a big personality with a talent for ruffling feathers. Chris Marshall-Bell probes for serious intent beneath the Belgian's happy-go-lucky exterior
This story is from the May 02, 2024 edition of Cycling Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 02, 2024 edition of Cycling Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Look KG 241
Handmade French carbon from the 1990s' biggest innovators
LET'S TALK ABOUT...DEPRESSION
Rates of depression have risen dramatically since the pandemic and cyclists aren't immune, as Chris Marshall-Bell finds out
TILTING AT TOWERS
Faced with a daunting weather forecast, Tom Davidson takes on Alice Towers’s favourite training loop and learns how block headwinds forge champions
RACE BIKE OF THE YEAR 2024
Cycling Weekly crowns its ultimate king of the road
THE HUB
All the news you might have missed from the last seven days
JACOB TIPPER - Are armchair experts any good?
In recent years, the world of professional cycling has seen the rise of a new type of enthusiast: the armchair cycling fan or Twitter expert.
Tour de Suisse - 9-16 June Switzerland
A year on from Gino Mäder’s tragic death at the race, the Tour de Suisse returns to the calendar with poignant tributes to the Swiss rider.
WorldTour stars find Unbound Gravel a struggle
Matej Mohorič might be the gravel world champion, but he was unable to complete gravel's biggest race last weekend
Tour of Britain Women - 6-9 June
After months of doubt over whether it would take place, the Tour of Britain Women gets underway in Welshpool, Powys, this afternoon.
Pidcock: all in on the Olympics
Tom Pidcock tells Tom Thewlis he is fully focused on gold in Paris this summer