Four days until the start of the Giro d'Italia, four jerseys to conquer. But who are the favorites for these classifications that are not so secondary?

Let's start our analysis with the cyclamen jersey which rewards the leader of the points classification. It is awarded based on points earned from riders' placements at the finish line and intermediate sprint points along the route. It was established in 1966 with a red color, then became cyclamen in 1970, returned to red in 2016, and definitively became cyclamen in 2017.

Jonathan Milan has won the points classification jersey in the last two editions of the race, but this year he will not be at the start of the Giro d'Italia, and the fight for this classification will certainly be more open. The rider who has won the points classification most often in the Giro's history is Francesco Moser, who took home the iconic jersey in 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1982.

Let's see how points are assigned, which are not the same in all stages: the difference lies in the type of course. More points are awarded in stages dedicated to sprinters compared to those for climbers

The flat stages are numbers 4, 5, 6, 12, 13, 14, 18, and 21, and the rider who crosses the finish line first will be given 50 points, followed by 35, 25, 18, 14, 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and finally 1 point for the 15th place.

The hilly stages are 1, 3, 8, 9, and 11: at the finish, 25 points will be awarded, then 18, 12, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and finally 1 point for the tenth place.

The mountain stages are 7, 15, 16, 17, 19, and 20, and at the finish, 15 points will be awarded, followed by 12, 9, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point for the tenth place. Identical points will be assigned in time trial stages, namely stages 2 and 10.

Regarding intermediate sprints, except for time trials where no points are awarded, the scoring is the same for every stage: 12 points for the first, then 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 down to 1 point for the eighth place.

As for the riders who can aim to take home the cyclamen jersey - while waiting for all teams to confirm their roster for the pink race (at the time of publishing this article, only three teams have done so) - we can say that it's not easy to make predictions this time, because the race is very open, but we think of a rider like Van Aert, who loves collecting jerseys in grand tours, even though the Belgian has repeatedly said it won't be a primary objective. His teammate Olav Kooij is also a good contender for the cyclamen jersey, but everything will depend on the work he'll have to do for Van Aert. Then there's the Danish classic hunter Mads Pedersen from Lidl Trek and the young French rider Paul Magnier from Soudal-Quick Step. Following are Milan Fretin from Cofidis, Kaden Groves from Alpecin-Deceuninck, Sam Bennett from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, and also the Italians Giovanni Lonardi from Team Polti-Kometa and Matteo Moschetti from Q36.5 Pro Cycling team, both protagonists in this first part of the season. If we want to think of a classification rider capable of winning the points jersey, then the favorite is undoubtedly Primoz Roglic.