Giro d’Italia start list: Who’s who in the race for the pink jersey

The 106th Giro d’Italia clicks into gear May 6 in the Abruzzo region, and ends three weeks later on May 28 in Rome.

In between, there should be a spectacular race for the pink jersey. If the spring classics and the opening stage races of 2023 are any indication, the 2023 Giro will be a good one.

Who’s in for the win?

Giro officials released the official start list, and it’s a doozy.

All eyes are on the duel between Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič. The pair locked horns at the Volta a Catalunya in spectacular fashion in March.

After spending weeks at altitude, they both hit sea level for the stage 1 time trial ready to race for the “maglia rosa.”

Behind the dynamic duo, there are plenty of other would-be pretenders to the pink jersey throne.

Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora Hansgrohe), Damiano Caruso and Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious), Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EasyPost), Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ), Tao Geoghegan Hart, Geraint Thomas, and Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers), and Jay Vine and João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) will all be scrapping for the podium.

There are riders for every scenario, from time trial specialists like Filippo Ganna, Stefan Küng, and Tobias Foss, and sprinters galore, from Mark Cavendish to Fernando Gaviria to Mads Pedersen.

Five U.S. riders and one Canadian are starting, including Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma), Larry Warbasse (Ag2r-Citroën), Matthew Riccitello (Israel Premier Tech), Will Barta (Movistar), and Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates), with Derek Gee for Canada at Israel Premier Tech.

Every team tries to get something out of the Giro, be it a stage win, a podium spot, or a few days in a leader’s jersey.

Follow all the action on VeloNews.com.