Slowly getting into motion after postponed presentations and expanded wild cards, the Giro d'Italia finally arrives, opening the season of stage races. A 3,443-kilometer journey that starts from Albania for the first time: it's the fifteenth start outside national borders, the seventh in the last fifteen years. The race will also go abroad at the end of the second week, entering Slovenia.

On the map, it's a tougher Giro compared to last year's edition, dominated by Pogacar: almost eight thousand additional meters of elevation means more climbs, mostly in the final week. Only three summit finishes, at least six opportunities for sprinters, a fair dose of time trial (42 kilometers) and the now-usual portion of gravel roads (30 kilometers in five sections of Sienese white roads, 8 kilometers in the climb to Colle delle Finestre): this is the menu proposed to a good cast of participants, where excellent names from the classics stand out (Van Aert, Pidcock, and Pedersen, all candidates for the first pink jersey), but the Tour's top performers are missing (Pogacar, Vingegaard, and Evenepoel). Twenty-three teams at the start, one more than expected after the UCI's increase for grand tours, Italy hasn't signed the winner's list since 2016, when Nibali made his second victory.

Here are the ten faces aiming to celebrate in Rome.

Primoz Roglic. He wins because he knows best how to conquer a grand tour, because he has focused his entire season on this race, because he can count on the help of former winner Hindley and Dani Martinez, second last year. He doesn't win because at 35, the years start to weigh.

Juan Ayuso. He wins because he has a great feeling with Italian roads, because he's strong both uphill and in time trials, because beside him are Del Toro and Adam Yates with winning qualities. He doesn't win because compared to Roglic, he lacks a bit of experience.

Mikel Landa. He wins because he has prepared by carefully managing his energy, because he can have his say on tough mountains, because arriving under the radar removes the weight of expectations. He doesn't win because the time trial remains his weak point and at 35, he struggles against the new generations.

Antonio Tiberi. He wins because he has already tasted high-level classification, because he defends well on all terrains, because the experience of Bilbao and Caruso is a great way to grow quickly. He doesn't win because in this Giro there are too many attackers and he struggles when he needs to respond immediately.

Giulio Ciccone. He wins because he comes from a winter finally without issues, because at 30 he has the last chance to prove himself as a classification rider, because he has learned to manage his energy well. He doesn't win because he always has that one bad day that ruins everything.

Romain Bardet. He wins because this is his last grand tour, because in the dress rehearsal at Tour of the Alps he was among the most consistent, because he has the climbs suitable to put everyone in difficulty. He doesn't win because racing steadily with the leaders doesn't mean beating them all.

Richard Carapaz. He wins because he's one of the five who have already succeeded, because he has focused only on training, because he has achieved his best results on Italian roads. He doesn't win because after the podium three years ago, he has barely appeared in the classification.

Egan Bernal. He wins because he has a special connection with our country, because he has started to show himself as competitive as in his best years, because he can count on the support of a climber like Arensman. He doesn't win because compared to the strongest, he still lacks something.

Simon Yates. He wins because the course suits him, because he has shown he can stay in the high classification, because he has made the pink race his main target. He doesn't win because when things get tough, he always finds a way to complicate things for himself.

Derek Gee. He wins because this is a race that suits him well, because a year ago as a rookie he finished in the top ten of the Tour, because he has been a protagonist in all the short stage races this season. He doesn't win because he too can have an off day.