LIVE stage 1 Giro d'Italia 2025 | Three teams, one mission in a tricky opening stage

So, where do we start? At the beginning, of course! And that is in Durrës, Albania's second city. Durrës – or Durazzo, as the Italians call it – is located on the Adriatic coast and, because of its status as a port city, is also known as the gateway to Albania. Its coastal location makes it popular with tourists and has a rich history, although most riders will see little or none of that on Friday.

The riders are mainly focused on the start of a major race, which can usually be quite hectic. Everyone starts with razor-sharp determination, but the balance of power is still unknown. Add to that a few climbs that require riders to be in a good position and the poor road conditions in Albania, and you know it's going to be a nervous day in the peloton, which could prove decisive at the end.

From the start, the riders head south to the town of Paper—where there is also an intermediate sprint—and then further inland towards the foot of the first climb of this Giro d'Italia. That is the Gracen, which is thirteen kilometers long and has an average gradient of 5.1 percent, so the ascent is not too difficult. On the other hand, the descent is a bit steeper and also has a more technical section at the end.

The next obstacle is the Red Bull kilometer in Sauk, a suburb of Tirana, where a few bonus points can be collected. A few kilometers later, we arrive at the 22.1-kilometer local lap in the Albanian capital, which the riders must complete twice. This gives the organizers time to showcase the location to the world while the riders tackle the Surrel climb.

This 6.9-kilometer climb at 4.6 percent can be considered the decisive factor in this opening stage of the Giro d'Italia. The percentages of the climb mentioned are somewhat misleading because the climb should actually be divided into three sections. Part one—two kilometers at 2.4 percent—is false flat, after which the second part, a good kilometer at more than 8.0 percent, can spell chaos. In the final stretch, the rest of the climb, the gradient is 4.6 percent, and it's a matter of pushing through or falling behind.

We don't finish at the top of the Surrel, but eleven kilometers further on. It's basically downhill to the finish, but especially in the first part, you quickly lose sight of the riders due to the numerous bends. Therefore, coming back from the rear seems far from easy in these final meters, although it always depends on the composition of the peloton: at the back and the front.

Climbs
83.7 km: Gracen (13.0 km a 5.1%)
130.5 km: Surrel (6.9 km a 4.6%)
152.7 km: Surrel (6.9 km a 4.6%)

Times
Start: 1:10 PM local time (07:10 AM EDT)
Finish: 5:14 PM local time (11:14 AM EDT)

Will it rain or not? The weather predictions for the start of the Giro d'Italia in Albania are still inconclusive, although it is looking more and more like a dry first stage. The riders will (have to) be happy with that because the roads in that country are not exactly ideal. The temperature is expected to be around 23 degrees Celsius, although it may feel a bit more humid in Albania.

Everyone knows that the first pink jersey is available, which will inevitably cause nervousness in the peloton. We, therefore, expect that an early breakaway will never get much leeway and that the pace will automatically be high throughout the day because both the riders aiming for the first pink jersey and those aiming for the last pink jersey in Rome will want to stay at the front.

Men like Primoz Roglic of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Juan Ayuso of UAE Emirates-XRG cannot win the Giro in Albania, but they can certainly lose it. They will not take control immediately, but there is only room for a certain number of teams in the front rows. And Visma | Lease a Bike, Lidl-Trek, Alpecin-Deceuninck, and Q36.5 will also want to be there.

These are the teams with the best chances of winning the stage. If the first three join forces and want to ensure a controlled sprint for their men, Wout van Aert, Mads Pedersen, and Kaden Groves, it will be very difficult for the other teams to prevail. Tom Pidcock and his Q36.5 team may want to make it even tougher to give something back to the Giro organization after they stuck their necks out for the Brit and his team.

For Olav Kooij and co, it is probably just a little too tough, although we would love to be surprised by the man who already won a tough stage in Tirreno-Adriatico in a sprint with a smaller peloton. The same probably applies to other fast men such as Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R), and Milan Fretin (Cofidis), as there are more than just small hills to overcome in this first stage. However, Kooij could also serve as a kind of wild card, as Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) could do in a different way for Pedersen.

There are plenty of punchers in this Giro, although we have to be honest and say that riders like Van Aert and Pedersen are still one step above them. However, write down Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech), Eschborn-Frankfurt number three Jon Barrenetxea, Orluis Aular (Movistar), Dorian Godon, Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R), Filippo Fiorelli (VF Group-Bardiani) and Rick Pluimers (Tudor) for a place in the top ten. Do you remember who finished fourth and fifth after Narváez, Pogacar, and Schachmann? Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Nicola Conci (previously with Alpecin, but now with Christian Scaroni's XDS-Astana) are present.

Are there any other possible scenarios? Certainly. An attack at a dull moment or in the final kilometers and a moment of hesitation create a situation that cannot be rectified. Riders such as Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech), and Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) tend to be interested in such opportunities.

Top favorites: Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Outsiders:Tom Pidcock (Q36.5), Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech) and Jon Barrenetxea (Movistar)
Long shots: Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike), Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Nicola Conci (XDS-Astana), Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech), Dorian Godon, Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) and Rick Pluimers (Tudor)