After its opening stages in Bulgaria, the Giro d’Italia peloton used the rest day to transfer back to its natural setting in Italy. The race arrives diminished by crashes that have eliminated several favorites, along with the unique story of Thomas Silva—the Uruguayan who, wearing the pink jersey, has put his country on the global cycling map.
An uncomfortable, long transfer took the riders to the outskirts of the Calabrian town of Catanzaro, where the Giro resumes on Tuesday. The upcoming week will offer opportunities for sprinters and test the general classification contenders with two summit finishes: Blockhaus and Corno Alle Scale. The mountains will hold their own casting on the climbs.
Silva, Magnier, and Sevilla Shine in Bulgaria
The three Giro stages in Bulgaria crowned two unexpected protagonists: Paul Magnier, the 22-year-old Frenchman who claimed a sprint double and now wears the ciclamino jersey for points, and Guillermo Thomas Silva (Astana), the first Uruguayan in Giro history and the current maglia rosa. At 24, after four seasons with Caja Rural and a win at the Tour of Hainan (China) this year, Silva has put his nation on cycling’s front page.
Among the more modest riders, the courage and ambition of Madrid native Diego Pablo Sevilla (Polti VisitMalta) stood out. A product of the Alberto Contador Foundation’s development program, he proudly wears the azzurra mountain jersey.
Crashes Eliminate Several General Classification Candidates
Three days of drama due to crashes, most significantly on stage two between Burgas and Veliko Tarnovo, devastated the aspirations of UAE Team Emirates. The Emirati squad, already missing Portuguese rider Joao Almeida and Mexican Isaac Del Toro at the start, lost Adam Yates, Jay Vine, and Marc Soler in the pile-up. In the same accident, Colombian Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain) was also forced out—a rider who would have been key for the mountain stages and was aiming for podium positions.
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The general classification offers little separation. Thomas Silva leads by a handful of seconds over German Florian Stork (Tudor) and Colombian Egan Bernal (Netcompany Ineos). All the contenders for victory in Rome sit just ten seconds back. Jonas Vingegaard, the pre-race favorite, showed little on the few climbs faced so far but did so with authority. Tied in the standings are Italian hopes Giulio Pellizzari and Giulio Ciccone, along with Spanish riders Enric Mas, Juanpe López, Markel Beloki, and Javier Romo.
A Week for Sprinters, Breakaways, and the Blockhaus Exam
The Giro relaunches in Calabria with relatively gentle stages leading to Cosenza, Potenza, and Naples, where a clear sprint is expected. The first serious mountain test arrives Friday, May 15, in Abruzzo. There lies Blockhaus, a first-category climb that ends the stage after a marathon 246 kilometers with 4,650 meters of climbing. The 13.5-kilometer ascent at 8.4% average will see the general classification riders face each other.
After a demanding stage eight with an elevated finish in Fermo, the weekend closes in Le Marche with another summit finish at Corno alle Scale (first category, 10.8 km at 5.9%, with sections at double-digit gradients).
The second week opens Tuesday with stage four, from Catanzaro to Cosenza, 138 kilometers. It is a flat day with one categorized climb past the midpoint that could shape the stage—the only difficulty being Cozzo Tunno (second category, 14.4 km at 5.9%). The finish is a slight uphill that suits strong finishers (400 meters at 3.7%).
