The 107th Giro d'Italia begins in Turin on Saturday and runs through until a closing dash around the streets of Rome on May 26.
With six mountain finishes and more time-trial kilometres than usual for an edition of the Giro, the general classification has the potential to go deep into the race, albeit only if overwhelming favourite Tadej Poagacar doesn't dominate from the off.
- THYMEN ARENSMAN PODIUM FINISH
- BEN O'CONNOR PODIUM FINISH
- MICHAEL WOODS TO WIN THE MOUNTAIN CLASSIFICATION
- KADEN GROVES TO WIN POINTS CLASSIFICATION
- JUAN PEDRO LOPEZ TO WIN A STAGE
Value Options Worth Exploring
There are few occasions in elite sport when fans and pundits universally agree that, barring injury or misfortune, a single candidate will win easily, but there is a feeling that will be the case at this year's Giro d'Italia.
Tadej Pogacar is aiming to become the first rider since Marco Pantani in 1998 to win both the Giro and Tour de France in the same year and he appears to have a real opportunity of completing that rare double.
This year's Giro route is slightly gentler than usual while the Slovene's great rival Jonas Vingegaard may not be in top form at this summer's Tour after suffering injuries in a serious crash in April.
Pogacar is long odds-on to win the Giro following a brilliant spring which has yielded Classics success at Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Strade Bianche and the general classification at the Volta a Catalunya. So it is little wonder that Jayco-AlUla's sports director Matt White has described him as "unbeatable".
His closest rival in the betting is last year's runner-up Geraint Thomas, who came agonisingly close to adding the Maglia Rosa to his 2018 Tour success before being overtaken by Primoz Roglic on the penultimate stage of last year's race.
Like Pogacar, the Welshman could benefit from the sizable 71.8km of time-trialling along the route, but another Ineos Grenadiers rider could get closest to the favourite.
While 37-year-old Thomas is reaching the end of his career, Ineos co-leader Thymen Arensman is on his way up at just 24 years of age and showcased his Grand Tour credentials by finishing sixth on his Giro debut in 2023.
The Dutchman is one of the emerging GC contenders and has recorded top 10s at both the Volta ao Algarve and Tirreno-Adriatico this year. A podium finish is a viable target for Arensman, who could also be one for the forecast behind Pogacar.
Ben O'Connor is also a rider to look out for in the top-three betting. Riding for a French team, Decathlon AG2R la Mondiale, it is surprising to see the Australian given permission to skip the Tour and focus on the Giro but he believes switching goals has reinvigorated him.
The 28-year-old's results reflect his opinion. O'Connor won the Vuelta a Murcia and finished second at the UAE Tour earlier this season and was also runner-up at the recent Tour of the Alps and fifth at Tirreno-Adriatico, so a first Grand Tour podium is a major possibility for Aussie.
Woods Can Take Mountains Prize
Michael Woods returns to the Giro for the first time since finishing 19th in 2018 but challenging for the Maglia Rosa may not be on the Canadian's agenda this time around.
Instead, Woods could be priming himself for an assault on the King of the Mountains classification after winning a stage at last year's Tour de France atop the iconic Puy de Dome.
At 37, a three-week challenge might be beyond Woods, while there is also a question of durability and luck as he failed to finish three Grand Tours in succession he rode before finishing 48th at the 2023 Tour.
The mountains classification is always the hardest to predict, with one of the general classification contenders often coming through to take the prize, but the points are weighted differently at the Giro which makes it more open to stage hunters.
Pogacar is the favourite while 2022 Giro mountains hero Koen Bouwman and Romain Bardet are also fancied. However, with previous stage wins to his name at both the Tour and the Vuelta, Woods will be desperate to complete the set and could be the one wearing the blue jersey in Rome.
MICHAEL WOODS TO WIN MOUNTAINS CLASSIFICATION
Go For Groves In Points Competition
Jonathan Milan needed only one stage win to claim the points classification at last year's Giro and the Italian has enjoyed a strong start to 2024.
Since switching to Lidl-Trek, Milan has won the points competition at both Tirreno-Adriatico and Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and he has also registered top-10 finishes at Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen.
Milan is one of several decent, but arguably not world-class, sprinters who are likely to finish this year's Giro and he could be pipped to the points prize by another rider still to truly break into the upper echelon of speedsters.
Kaden Groves posted four top 10s, including a victory on stage five, before having to withdraw from last year's race due to stomach issues but responded by winning three stages and taking the points jersey at the Vuelta a Espana.
Groves is very much Alpecin-Deceuninck's second sprinter behind Jasper Philipsen, but with the Belgian focused on the Tour, the Aussie can target other races.
He is also a better climber than many of his sprint rivals and moreover has a team geared to helping him win stages rather than looking for other prizes.
Provided he has better luck this year, Groves has the Giro points prize in his sights.
KADEN GROVES TO WIN POINTS CLASSIFICATION
Lopez Looks Like A Stage Contender
Helping Milan retain the points jersey will be Lidl-Trek's priority on the flat but look out for his colleague Juan Pedro Lopez in the mountains.
The 26-year-old beat several Giro hopefuls on the way to winning the general classification at the Tour of the Alps and led the 2022 Giro for ten stages before finishing an impressive 10th on debut.
An overall challenge is probably beyond the Spaniard but a first Grand Tour stage victory is definitely not.
Lidl-Trek have stated they are hunting stages in Italy this May and Lopez will be at the forefront of their plans.
JUAN PEDRO LOPEZ TO WIN A STAGE
