Sawt Falasteen - Roglic leads deep field of contenders at tricky Giro d'Italia

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar is missing, but several riders could take the honours in an event notorious for surprises and wild weather, which sometimes favours an outsider.

AFP takes a look at the big guns:

- Veteran Roglic -

Red Bull-Bora rider Roglic is a five-time Grand Tour winner backed by climbers -- the 2022 Giro champion Jai Hindley and 2024 runner-up Dani Martinez.

Roglic, 35, can also count on the gutsy Italian Gianni Moscon in the engine room.

The Slovenian is capable of shining in the time-trial, in the hills and in the high mountains. But he is also capable of losing his nerve when isolated or racing downhill.

Roglic is also on record as saying his main target this year is the Tour de France, and should he claim the Giro again he will become the oldest rider ever to do so. "Inside I still feel 20," he said this week.

- Rookie Ayuso in Pogacar's shadow -

The 22-year-old Spanish all-rounder Ayuso won the Tirreno-Adriatico this year but makes his Giro debut here backed up in their Team UAE by another potential champion, Adam Yates, who has proven talent in the mountains but is only an average time-triallist.

It will be fascinating to see the team's tactics in the two individual time-trials, a hilly one in Tirana on day two and a 30-kilometre (18.6 mile) flat run from Luca to Pisa on stage 10.

Team UAE won the race in 2024 with Pogacar, who took six stage wins and won by ten minutes, setting the bar very high for young pretender Ayuso.

- Home hope Tiberi -

A distant fifth in 2024, Antonio Tiberi represents Italy's best hope of a first home win since 2016 when the great tactician Vincenzo Nibali won, and tactics could prove key on such an extraordinarily challenging route.

"Over 21 days anything can happen and the hierarchy can shift at any moment. I think there’s room to try something," he said confidently this week. The Bahrain Merida rider will be flanked by experienced pair Pello Bilbao and veteran Italian Damiano Caruso.

Tiberi, a 23-year-old climber, has promised to keep is powder dry until the final Alpine stages, hoping to ride into Rome in his home region on June 1 donning the leader's pink jersey.

- Scores to settle -

Twin brother of Adam, Simon Yates was on his way to victory in 2018 before a crushing meltdown as Chris Froome turned the tables with an 80km attack.

Yates has a chance at new team Visma, where he is backed by Wout van Aert.

If Yates can survive the time trial on stage 10 he looks a contender to do well at altitude in Sestriere on stage 20. Yates and Van Aert could conversely both win multiple stages.

- South American trio -

Richard Carapaz leads the EF team, Egan Bernal fronts the Ineos challenge and Nairo Quintana heads the roster at Movistar.

All three are former Giro champions with 2021 Olympic champion Carapaz seen as a serious contender with the American team who are sometimes found tactically wanting yet remain enthusiastically ambitious.

Bernal appears to be in his best form since his Giro win in 2021. "I hope to win. Every morning when I wake up that's what motivates me and I can't wait to get started" he said Thursday.

Meanwhile Quintana, the 2014 champion, would likely be satisfied with a stage win.

U.Shaheen--SF-PST