As race organisers love to tell us, this is a day when the race can't be won but can certainly be lost. The first long and hotly contested climb is sure to see some of the contenders struggling to cope with the change of pace, but gaps between them should be in seconds rather than minutes based on what happened here in 2003. Gilberto Simoni blew the race apart when the gradient kicked up 7km from the finish, but the Terminillo's ramps weren't tough enough for "Gibo" to build a significant advantage.
Procycling's favourite to win:
-
'You go to races with multiple leaders' - Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe confirms Giro d'Italia team determined to seize the maglia rosa
Two Giro winners and last year's runner-up amongst strong team heading to Albania -
'I'm not Wout van Aert, I'm not Mark Cavendish' – Matthew Brennan forging his own path after stunning pro debut
19-year-old Briton looks back on successful first months in pro peloton which have seen him rack up four major wins -
Movistar ready to attack Vuelta Femenina despite TTT controversy and Cat Ferguson crash
'We had to pay the price for the errors and inefficiency throughout the bike-checking process' says team in response to stage 1 fine -
Giro d'Italia 2025 - The comprehensive team-by-team guide
A full rundown of all the teams, their leaders and the riders to watch at this year's race
