These days, it's not common to have two Italian riders among the top favorites for a short stage race. However, at the Tour of the Alps 2025, Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) have all the credentials to shine on the roads of Trentino, Alto Adige, and Tyrol and try to end an Italian drought that has lasted since 2013 with Vincenzo Nibali, when the race was still called Giro del Trentino. Since the race expanded to the Euregio in 2017, only Nibali (3rd in 2019), Domenico Pozzovivo (3rd in 2017 and 2nd in 2018), and Tiberi himself, 3rd last year, have made the podium.

Both the Abruzzo rider and the Roman are preparing for the Giro d'Italia, and the Tour of the Alps will be an opportunity to grow not only physically but also mentally, because performing well on these mountains is the best way to head to Albania with even more confidence. Tiberi's example from last year fits perfectly: 3rd at TotA and then 5th and White Jersey at the Giro. This year he'll try again, and so will Ciccone, who can finally approach the Corsa Rosa without any hitches, fingers crossed. Neither has raced for a month, so their condition remains to be verified, but both have the right characteristics to master the constant ups and downs of TotA.

Ciccone, in particular, can count on a team with multiple leaders, as defending champion Juanpe López - who has somewhat disappeared from top levels after that splendid victory - and Tao Geoghegan Hart, winner of 4 stages and the overall classification at TotA in 2023, will be with him. Think of the British Giro 2020 winner and also his great challenger at the time, Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), who will arrive at TotA among the top favorites and with the hope of making his mark, knowing that in the Giro he might set aside personal ambitions for Primož Roglič's cause.

The 2022 Giro winner will lead a large group of ambitious Australians, including Michael Storer (Tudor), 2nd at TotA in 2022 and 5th at Paris-Nice this year, and then Luke Plapp and Chris Harper (Jayco AlUla), all approaching the Giro. Brent Copeland's team will also be able to count on Eddie Dunbar, Paul Double, and Davide De Pretto, for a team with many interesting arrows to shoot.

Local rider Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) will try to give Austrians a victory missing since 1985 (Harald Maier) or at least a podium (last in 1988 with Helmut Wechselberger). Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers), 3rd in 2022, is the only Dutch rider in history to have made the podium and at Paris-Nice, where he finished on the podium, he showed he's in great form. We mentioned the presence of the last two winners, López and Geoghegan Hart, but 2022 winner Romain Bardet (Team Picnic PostNL) will also be there, ready to begin the final rush of his career that will close with Giro d'Italia and Critérium du Dauphiné. The experienced French rider is returning after being sidelined in early March due to shoulder problems caused by a crash at Volta ao Algarve. Same situation for his teammate Max Poole, who broke his collarbone at Strade Bianche and returns to racing at TotA.

Another pair to watch is from Israel-PremierTech, with Derek Gee increasingly comfortable on big climbs and ready to test himself in the classification at the Giro, and Matthew Riccitello, whose full potential is not yet fully understood. Also to be watched are Davide Piganzoli (Polti VisitMalta), ready to take another step forward in his growth process, Georg Steinhauser, Jefferson Cepeda, and Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EasyPost), Alessandro Fancellu (JCL Team Ukyo), Alessandro Pinarello (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizan), Paul Seixas (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), and the experienced Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), who will likely be at Tiberi's service.