Something very special is about to happen in the 77th edition of the Dauphiné, something that’s rarely happened in the previous 76 editions, the top 3 from last year’s Tour are here and ready to go to war. This never happens, in recent years the top 3 GC riders in the world usually manage to avoid each other until July, but not in 2025, and I love it. Not only that, but all 3 are here with optimum preparation, something else which has been rare in previous seasons. The route is very typical for the race, lots of tough stages for...

Rome > Rome 145km The riders have reached Rome, so have I in my head! Today was an epic day of cycling, Visma were incredible, and UAE were baffling. The decision by Del Toro not to chase Simon Yates is one of the worst mistakes I’ve ever seen in cycling. He might have been the one to make the call, if that is true, his DS should have told him to work. It looks like car and rider were in agreement and they’ll all have to take responsibility. This will live with Del Toro for a long time but hats...

Verrès > Sestrière 205km Well then, Del Toro survives another day, just one more to chalk off and he’ll be wearing pink on the podium in Rome. Today was a funny stage, it looked like the heat killed just about everyone, making the riders much closer together in terms of ability. It was a missed opportunity for Carapaz, it’s now all about Colle delle Finestre.

Biella > Champoluc 166km The end game of the Giro begins. Stage 19 is the hardest of the whole race, 4926m of climbing in just 166km is going to push all of the riders to their limit. Del Toro is still in the race lead, 41s ahead of Carapaz and 51s up on Simon Yates. Derek Gee sits in 4th place, 1:57 down, he’s the last of the riders who have realistic chance of winning the pink jersey in Rome.

Morbegno > Cesano Maderno 144km GC riders can have a rest, this is a day for a classic game of sprint v break.

San Michele all’Adige > Bormio 155km Astana win the stage, Roglič crashes out, Ayuso cracks big time, Del Toro cracks a little, Bernal and Tiberi lose time, Gee is on a charge, Pellizzari caught the eye and Carapaz seems destined for pink, just your standard day at the Giro. I’m glad I said in yesterday’s preview that I had no idea what was going to happen, it would have needed a clairvoyant conference to have predicted that one. Onwards, time to look at stage 17.

Piazzola sul Brenta > San Valentino (Brentonico) 204km I don’t know about you, but I needed a rest day as much as the riders. Throughout this race I’ve been convinced that Roglič was going easy, staying in contention, with the idea of a huge final week, but that turned out to be incorrect. The crashes have caught up with the Slovenian, he was in pain during Sunday’s stage and ended up losing 1:30 to the GC group in a stage he should never have lost any time. It looks like he’s going to try and continue, but even I now...

Fiume Veneto > Asiago 221km This looks a nailed on breakaway stage. The big climb is tough, but it crests with 90km to go, and the final climb is relatively easy by GC standards. With a big final week to come, full of demanding mountains, this could be the last chance for many riders to challenge for a stage win.

Treviso > Nova Gorica 193km Having a sprint stage on a Saturday doesn’t feel right to me, hopefully it’s a good one. 

Rovigo > Vicenza 182km Stage 13 has a very interesting finale, one that some of you will know. It’s a day where pure sprinters won’t stand a chance, this is one of those finishes which suit different types of riders. The climbing sprinters will be fighting against the puncheurs and GC boys, the top 10 should look pretty weird at the end of the day. Please note, there’s 50 sprint points on offer for the winner.