Giro d’Italia 2025: 108th Edition of Grand Tour Kicks Off in Albania

(The Post News)– The 108th edition of the Giro d’Italia gets underway on 9 May, launching the men’s Grand Tour season with a route that begins in Durres, Albania, and ends in Rome, Italy, on 1 June.

All 18 UCI WorldTeams will compete, joined by five UCI ProTeams, including Israel–Premier Tech—one of the two highest-ranked ProTeams this season–and four wildcard entries chosen by race organisers RCS Sport.

Spanning three weeks, the race features 21 stages, including two individual time trials and three gruelling stages of over 200km. With varied terrain and long climbs, the Giro remains a key test of endurance, strategy and form ahead of the Tour de France.

This year’s start list is loaded with major talent. Headlining the contenders are Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep), and UAE Team Emirates-XRG duo Adam Yates and Juan Ayuso.

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease A Bike), Tom Pidcock (Q36.5), Marc Hirschi (Tudor), and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) will also line up for what promises to be an explosive edition.

Key Stages:

Stage 1 (9 May): Durazzo – Tirana, 164km

Stage 2 (10 May): Tirana – Tirana, 13.7km (Time Trial)

Stage 6 (15 May): Potenza – Napoli, 226km

Stage 10 (20 May): Lucca – Pisa, 28.6km (Time Trial)

Stage 15 (25 May): Fume Veneto – Asiago, 214km

Stage 20 (31 May): Verrès – Sestrière, 203km

Stage 21 (1 June): Rome – Rome, 141km

The race will test every aspect of a rider’s ability—from climbing legs to time trial skills—as the maglia rosa (pink jersey) awaits its next champion.