4 minutes The 2024 edition of the Giro d'Italia promises to be a spectacle like no other. With riders vying for glory and cycling supremacy, Tadel Pogacer is undoubtedly the odds-on favourite to win this year's race.
The Giro D'Italia 2024 is upon us once again, with the opening stage departing the capital Turin on the 4th of May.
The Giro as it is fondly referred to is one of cycling's three prestigious Grand Tours alongside the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. This epic three-week race weaves its way through the stunning landscapes of Italy, challenging riders with gruelling mountain passes in the Dolomites, thrilling sprints, and typically unpredictable weather conditions the Giro will push the peloton to its limits.
Tadel Pogacer: The Bookies Odds-on Favourite
The 2024 edition of the Giro d'Italia promises to be a spectacle like no other. With riders vying for glory and cycling supremacy, Tadel Pogacer is undoubtedly the odds-on favourite to win this year's edition with last year's winner Primosz Roglic of now team Bora Hansgroghe opted not to defend his 2023 title. He is currently 2/9 to win the race with most UK betting sites, including 888Sport.
The Slovenian will look to continue his supreme form and dominance his race as he has done on several occasions this season having won the Strade Bianchi, Tour of Catalunya and most recently adding Liege Bastogne Liege to his impressive 2024 palmares; however, the one-day and short stage race season is now behind him and he is coming into ‘pointy end’ and into his first Grand Tour of the season with the sole aim of adding nothing other than the win to add to his two Tour de France victories which he achieved in 2020 and 2021 respectively..
The battle for the coveted pink jersey may appear on paper as a full gone based on recent form and the lack of notable other key Grand Tour winners Jonas Vindegaard and teammate Sepp Kusk; Primosz Roglic and notably Remco Evenapol who suffered broken bones in the well documents pile up in the Tour of the Basque country and Wout van Aert who also suffered a high speed crash early in the Classic season. However this will not detract from the quality field that will be chasing Pogacer to the Maglia Rosa.
Geraint Thomas: A Key Contendor
Leading the charge will be the ever-present Grand Tour master Geraint Thomas of team Ineos Grenadiers at the ripe old age of 37 he will need to draw upon his 5 previous Giro D'italia appearances and most notably last season where he came agonisingly close eventually losing out on the final stage time trial to Primosz Roglic.
The Welshman knows exactly what it takes to win a Grand Tour having won the Tour de France in 2018 and being part of numerous winning tours supporting and playing a lead role as super domestique to Bradley Wiggins and five-time Grand Tour winner Chris Froome. Thomas has had a good block of winter training and looked good at the recent Tour of the Alps showing good signs in the mountains will hold him in good stead for the upcoming terrain of the mountainous terrain heading into the 2024 Giro.
Equally frenchman Romain Bardet of Team DSM - Firmenich-postalNL has a proven palmares of performing on the biggest stages of world tour cycling. Bardet a supreme climber and season pro of the peloton having featured in 15 grand tours two of them being the Giro D’italia respectively. He will be aiming to go better than his 7th place in 2021 and notch his first grand tour win at the age of 33. Recent exploits at Liege Bastogne Liege finishing second to Tadej Pogacer has shown he has the form and the conditioning to trouble the Slovenmian or any other changers that aim to be on the top step at the end of the three week tour.
Ex-Ineos Grenadier teammate of Geraint Thomas; Dani Martinez of Bora Hansgrohe the Columbian is no stranger to Grand Tours featuring highly on GC most notably at the Giro in 2021 coming 5th. Martinez will feel invigorated having had to play second fiddle on many occasions to other riders at previous grand tours whilst at EF Education and Ineos Grenadiers. In this year's Giro he will be leading the German Bora Hansgrohe team and the focus and pressure will be on him to deliver. Having had a mixed season so far with relative success and what appears to be keeping his powder dry for the opening grand tour in Italy.
The stage is set and the performers are ready to take on the challenge that the Giro D’italia holds over its three week journey across the stunning landscape of Italy.
Giro Ditalia 2024 Winner Odds
Here are the top 10 riders in the latest outright betting market:
| Rider Name | Odds |
|---|---|
| Tadej Pogacar | 2/9 |
| Geraint Thomas | 11/2 |
| Romain Bardet | 16 |
| Ben O'Connor | 18 |
| Antonio Tiber | 18 |
| Damiano Caruso | 20 |
| Daniel Martinez | 20 |
| Thymen Arensman | 28 |
| Cian Uijtdebroeks | 22 |
| Florian Lipowitz | 50 |