We know that Pogacar, Del Toro, Evenepoel, and Antonio Tiberi will not be at the Giro, but we hope Jonas Vingegaard might be there, as our sources suggest he is leaning towards a significant "yes". A question mark, as large as a nation, as large as Bulgaria, puts the Grand Start in doubt, not because of second thoughts, but because the situation there is extremely complex.

Two days ago, writes Cecilia Seppia on Vatican News, "just weeks after Bulgaria's entry into the Eurozone, the government in Sofia has fallen, overwhelmed by weeks of ongoing anti-corruption protests. Prime Minister Rossen Zhelyazkov, who survived six votes of no confidence in a year, announced the executive's resignation. 'We have listened to the voice of society,' said the center-right premier, who came to power in January after tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of the capital and beyond all night, a gesture that definitively changed the game."

Parliamentary Consultations Begin

His government, composed of his party, Gerb, the Socialist BSP, and the populist ITN, did not have a parliamentary majority but counted on the unconditional support of the "Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning" (DPS-NN), one of the two factions of the Turkish minority, led by Delian Peeevski, a central and controversial figure in Bulgarian politics, accused for years of being the symbol of national corruption. "As we have stated several times, we are aware of the people's voice calling for the government's resignation. Young and old, people of different religions, have voted in the square for our resignation, so this people's energy must be encouraged," Zhelyazkov declared. As per procedure, the Bulgarian Parliament approved the resignations with 127 votes in favor, and now the Cabinet will continue to perform its functions until a new executive is elected. President Rumen Radev has already invited parliamentary groups to form a new government. If they fail - which is likely - he will appoint an interim government to rule the country until new elections.