Tension and excitement go up on the eve of the big departure of the Italian TourWho This year takes place in Durrës, Albania this year, this Friday, May 9. The headliners and the biggest names in this 108th edition of Giro had an appointment this Thursday, May 8 at the Palais des Congrès in Tirana, the Albanian capital, the latter acting as a forty general of the Italian event For the traditional pre-couring press conference bringing together the best runners. Among these was obviously Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), the winner of Giro 2023 being regularly quoted as the main favorite of this 2025 edition, with Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates – XRG). If he ran little in 2025 (only 12 days of racing), the Slovenian arrives in shape and in full confidence after having notably won his first duel with his Spanish rival on the Tour of Catalonia.
VIDEO – The Primoz Roglic press conference before the Giro
“I feel good and I’m ready”
“The Red Bull kilometer is a nice surprise. I hope he will be fun and full of action. I hope I don’t really need to sprint for that. It’s interesting to run against my former teammate Wout Van Aert. It’s more than just a cyclist for me. He will certainly have his chances on this Giro“, he replied succinct. The day before, he had already expressed himself more in length following the presentation of the teams.
“I will always remember my victory over the Giro in 2023. It was such a moving and special moment. I’m back and I hope to feel the same emotions again. I feel good and I am ready. During my first race of the season (the Algarve Tour, editor’s note), I had to warm up, but at the Tour de Catalonia, I won, which was very important. I have to work hard to get there, I am often far from my home and my family, and it’s nice to get something in return. This does not prejudge my chances of the Giro. We all start from scratch and after 21 days, we will see who is the best. My plan? Difficult to say. To be honest, I have not yet recognized a step. So I take things day by day. If we look at the course, we see that the last week is really difficult. I think the course is difficult and equitable, and that the best runner will prevail“, the conclusion Primoz Roglicstill as pragmatic.
