Key contenders Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) and Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) are expecting an open and aggressive race at this week's Tour of the Alps, as one of the final pre-Giro d'Italia tests kicks off on Monday.
Though Hindley, Tiberi, and Gall come to the race with favourite status, it's a label that perhaps means less than ever at this race, with a very strong start list assembling in Trentino and five short, punchy stages that are challenging but not too demanding.
The race route never climbs above 2,000m, and there's only one uphill finish – on stage 1 – with the other four days packing in plenty of climbing, but also chances for things to come together or be reshuffled in the finale, so attacking throughout the day is key.
"Every day there's an opportunity and every day you have to be on point," Jai Hindley told the assembled media on Sunday afternoon.
"I think for sure the second stage is on paper the hardest, but tomorrow is the only true uphill finish, so for sure everyone will be looking at that. But every day will be a big fight, and I think the GC could be quite close at the end."
Tiberi, who finished third here last year and third at Tirreno-Adriatico last month, added, "The race is open to many different scenarios.
"We have a race that has short stages, and no stages finishing after a long and exhausting climb, so it's open to different scenarios, different riders, there are a dozen riders who can aim for the podium.
"All the stages can be tricky, I think they can shuffle the GC. Every day you can expect anything from anybody, so you need to keep your eyes open."
Of those perhaps dozen riders who can challenge for the podium, one who brushes shoulders with Tiberi as a real top favourite is Hindley. The former Giro d'Italia winner will head to the Italian Grand Tour in support of Primož Roglič, so whilst this race is a final fine-tuning for the Australian, it's also a chance for him to go for his own chances before taking up lieutenant duty in May.
"I'm super excited to be back. It's been some years. In 2021 [his last appearance], it didn't really go how I wanted, I crashed out, if I remember, it was pretty brutal. But it's a super nice race and for a rider like me it's perfect," Hindley said.
"There's a lot of climbing every day, couldn't ask for a better parcours. Really excited to be here and looking forward to a good week."
For Hindley and Tiberi, this race in itself is important, but it's also a key indicator of where they – and their rivals – will be when the peloton heads to the Grande Partenza in Albania next month.
"I think normally if you have good legs at the Tour of the Alps, then it should continue to the Giro," Hindley said. "So I hope the form is good, I hope the legs are good, and I really hope to have a good week here, to be competitive and to be in the mix. The preparation and everything before the race has been good and I'm pretty happy with where I'm at. Let's see, eh?"
Whilst Hindley is a proven winner in the Giro, Tiberi only made his debut last year and surprised a lot of viewers with fifth overall and the young rider's jersey, so this year marks something of a confirmation year for the 23-year-old, his first as a tried-and-tested leader.
"Last year, I was a step behind, because I was still finding out who I was and what I could do," he said. "It was the first year that the team gave me the responsibility to be in this race and the Giro d'Italia as leader. Last year I used the Tour of the Alps as a test in view of the Grand Tour, but this year I have greater ambitions. I am more confident in my potential, and I will try to do even better than last year."
Sharing the Italian expectations with Tiberi will be Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), who is building towards a return to the Giro d'Italia after a saddle sore derailed his plans last year.
Though it was defending Tour of the Alps champion Juan Pedro López who faced the media for Lidl-Trek on Sunday, he was clear that they're here for his Italian teammate, and have ambitions of a repeat win.
"This year we’ve got an even stronger team and we’ll carry the pressure of leading the race from day one," López said on the eve of the race.
"Our GC focus is on Ciccone, but it won’t be easy — this race is full of surprises. San Lorenzo Dorsino is the only summit finish, and I believe it could already be very meaningful for the GC. But here, anything can happen on any day.”
Not all roads lead to the Giro – some lead to home
Whilst most of the big teams and riders are in the Alps to work towards the Giro, there are a few for whom Italy isn't on the cards for May. That's the case for Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale's leader Felix Gall, but for the Austrian, the chance to race not just in his home nation but in his home town was too much to pass up.
"When we made the plan last year in the winter, I saw that it was going to finish in Lienz, my hometown, so I really pushed the team that I could be here," he said.
"It's a big goal of the first part of the season, so I'm happy to be here. It's a nice race that suits me well, especially with the last two stages in my hometown, it's going to be very special."
Though Gall is coming to the end of his first block of racing in 2025 rather than building towards a peak, that doesn't mean he should be written off, and the different approach for him could indeed be an advantage.
"There are many riders who are coming from altitude and use this as preparation for the Giro, and they maybe had a break before that, so they have a different trajectory coming into this race. For me I'm at the end of the first part of the season, but I also took a few days off after Catalunya, I had a good training at home, so I don't really see this as a disadvantage. I feel good, I'm fit," he said.
And like his competitors, he's hoping that the varied, medium-difficult parcours will open a lot of doors and opportunities for riders like him.
"I think it's going to be, typically for this race, open and aggressive. The stages are not so long, they are punchy finishes, short climbs, steep. I think we're going to see a lot of attacks. Also for me there are many riders who can fight for the podium. I just want to give my best every day."
