🚴♂️ Hello fellow cycling fans 🚴♂️🇮🇹! It’s finally here — the Giro d’Italia 2025 kicks off, and for the first time ever, we’re starting in Albania! 🇦🇱💥
Stage 1 takes us from coastal Durrës to the capital Tirana, with a mix of flat roads, a couple of climbs, and a fast technical finish through the city streets. 🏙️⚡
🧗♂️ Climbing early? Yes — with the Gracen and Surell climbs on the menu, this isn’t a pure sprint day. Expect attacks and small groups fighting for the first pink jersey! 🎀🔥
💡In this video, I cover:
✅ The full stage breakdown — climbs, sprints, and the tricky final kilometers
✅ Team tactics — who controls the break? Who goes all in?
✅ My favorites for the win and a dark horse pick who could light it up on the descent! 👀
Weather? Might rain after the stage — so we could get lucky! 🌧️😅
Like 👍, subscribe 🔔, and stay with me for every stage of the Giro!
📺 https://www.youtube.com/@theroadcaptain?sub_confirmation=1
#Giro2025 #GirodItalia #CyclingPreview
We’re in the month of May and in the cycling world, it only means one thing. It’s time for the Jira Ditalia. Hello fellow cycling fans and welcome to my preview of stage one of Jirro Ditalia 2025 for the first time ever starting in Albania. The finish of the first stage is in the capital of Tyran. And there is where we will have our first podium ceremony and the first pink jersey delivered. So we are starting in Durash, a coastal town. First 70 km are mostly flat. We have two intermediate sprints just before the first climb of this year’s race. Gratson some 13 km at around 5.2% 2% then a long downhill all the way to Tyran but before that at 112 km from the start we have that Red Bull kilometer. It is an interesting way of sponsoring an intermediate sprint and I am really looking forward to see how it really looks in action and then two laps around Tana featuring this Surell climb 7 km at around 4.4% 4% and it’s downhill all the way to the finish in Tan. This is how it looks on the map. Starting in this port driving riding along the coastline and then uh once we start from the kilometer zero it is m mostly inland. Here is Albasan where the gratzen start climbs starts and this is the downhill section all the way to tyrann is the place where we have red bull kilometer and this is surell the climb that is climbed twice in this stage this is that climb some 7 km at around 4.76% it has a maximum gradient of around 13% but it is in the first half of the climb I don’t really see an attack sticking but for sure I have some guys in mind who will like to try and attack here. Take the pink jersey. So we will see if they will succeed. This is the final 5 km profile. So you can see that it is mostly downhill and in the city center we have three corners. First one is to the left then one sharp to the right and in the final kilometer we have one 90° corner. just before the finishing line. But uh I don’t expect a really big group to reach the finish line. So hopefully no crashes or any other incidents in the city center. We will probably see Py Ka or visit Malta team in the breakaway alongside Bardani. They will try to even get this uh first KM jersey, maybe even a point jersey. But uh I think that the winner of the stage will probably take that and then uh but okay they can maybe place second and uh wear that jersey for him as the winner of the stage will obviously be in pink to on the stage two as well. So who will uh control this breakaway? Well I think little track and visma Lisa bike for sure will try to do it alongside Alpasin. They are the teams that have the favorites in that sprint with Peterson Gross and Vanard of course. So those are the three guys that I’m looking at the most to win this stage. What about the weather on Friday in Albania? Well, you can see that there is a possibility of rain. However, uh now they are saying that it will uh fall around 6:00 p.m. So that is just after the stage finishes and uh probably that will be good. We don’t want to have a slippery downhill or a slippery corners in the city center. So it will be the best for the riders if the rain doesn’t fall. But if it does, then I can see uh more variables in the equation and some unexpected things can happen. Of course, wind will not be really strong, some 3 m/s from the north, but since we are doing these loops around Tyrana, then I don’t expect a wind to play any factor and it will be uh slightly headwind on the climb, but still I expect some attacks to happen. So, what about the bookmakers? Well, they agree with me mostly. They have Person as the favorite, as the top favorite at 3.5. You can see that it is an open stage. Then Kaden grows and vote for art at six are joint second favorite. P money, he still needs to step up a level. He’s a greater uh guy, but I don’t want to put too much pressure onto him. For sure he will be in the mix if he can survive those climbs. But I don’t really expect him to win this stage. Olaf Koi if he can survive these climbs then it will be interesting to see who will vis Melissa bike back him or vote Fernard but uh with votes formed this year his sprinting didn’t look that great but and if Ko is in the group then I’m sure they will go for him Sam Ben Feli Godon all the guys that can maybe survive these climbs but I will go with an ice side option I think Tom Pitk attacks on the descent and takes home the pink jersey starting this Jirro with a fireworks. His team Q 36.5. They got an invitation for this race. They need to show something and I’m sure that Pitcock will try to do it already in stage one. Here’s my pick for the win in this stage and for the pink jersey. Thank you for watching this video. Like it if you enjoy my comments about races and cycling in general. Don’t forget to subscribe. Every preview, every stage of this jirro will be in my channel and every one day race. So don’t forget to subscribe. Also, hit that notification bell so you never miss a preview. Have a great day. I hope to see you on Friday for the preview of stage two. Bye.