The Route
The opening stage of the Giro is one which will see some small gaps emerge between the GC riders but most importantly crown the first maglia rosa and in the fast streets of Torino the time-trialists will battle their way onto a glorious result.
As you can see in the map below it's not the most straightforward time-trial. Despite short it features some corners that'll break up the speed quite a lot in the second third of the route. Early on there are some tram tracks that can pose an issue if there's rain involved, afterwards there are 4 corners that are set to take off some speed so the riders will need to punch there, most of it naturally is on fast wide roads.
The Weather
There will be some wind from the northeast, it will be felt on the riverside generally helping in that first section of the route but most importantly it will mean a headwind in the second half of the TT, into the finish.
The Favourites
There is very little room to hide. Although it has some slightly technical sections where you make up a second or two, this route is all about the pure power and aerodynamics, by that order of importance. The big heavyweights will enjoy what should be a very fast route, and we've got two clear contenders for the win. Firstly is Italian national champion and current world champion Filippo Ganna who on paper would be the man to beat solo but in the last few weeks he's struggled to keep the win streak he built flowing. The time-trials he had in Romandie weren't suited to him but were nonetheless disapointing results, adding to his third place in Tirreno-Adriatico it put a dent in his seemingly flawless armour. Can he turn his luck around though? Or will the luck fall for Remi Cavagna who took his first big WT time-trial win last week, he will want it and he's not the only Deceuninck riders looking to step foot on the podium.
They will be more focused in gaining some seconds, and putting themselves in a position of control before the mountains, but you can expect a good ride from Remco Evenepoel who despite having no racing since Lombardia last year sets out very well rated by the bookies, too well in my opinion. Nevertheless his talent is undeniable, and João Almeida will also be fighting for some very important seconds in Turin.
The remainder of the stage contenders shouldn't have much of an influence on the GC, rather are specialists (and some baroudeurs) looking for a strong result, a nice surprise and some lucky weather conditions. On his best day you'd see Victor Campenaerts fight for the win here but TT's haven't been his focus lately, you have also some old guns like Alex Dowsett, Michael Hepburn or Jos van Emden who could pull a really good result as they have in the past, you have some young guns like Tobias Foss and Edoardo Affini representing Jumbo-Visma or Astana's Matteo Sobrero, there are Jan Tratnik and Nelson Oliveira who have been cooking up some great form ahead of the Giro and are favourites to finish in the Top5, and you've got some men carrying serious form like Patrick Bevin and Gianni Moscon who can in their best day pull off a massive result. Adding to that there's Alberto Bettiol which I didn't really know where to add, but he's always one to count if he finds his best legs.
Prediction Time
⭐ Almeida, Campenaerts, Dowsett, Hepburn, Foss, Affini, Oliveira, Bevin, Moscon
Despite the recent lack of wins I think Filippo Ganna will bounce back and take a big win, this stage is just too damn important for him to loose.
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