The Giro is also an open-air marketplace, a constantly evolving transfer market. Riders who showcase themselves and put themselves forward: teams that watch, take note and make observations. Agents ready to send interested parties rider profiles and biomedical data. Afonso Eulalio is one of the new faces of world cycling, and this Giro d'Italia has revealed him as such, and Bahrain did not hesitate to lock him down well in advance. Already in January, Milan Erzen's team decided to extend the Portuguese rider's contract by two years (until 2028), but at the end of the Giro the Carera brothers will meet with the Slovenian manager to finalize the contract: a further extension (until 2030) and a salary adjustment are not ruled out. If Afonso finishes in the top ten, his salary is likely to move towards one and a half million euros per season.

Another man in the transfer market is Felix Gall: four times second behind Jonas Vingegaard on the climbs, he is currently 2nd overall at 4'03" from the Dane. The 28-year-old Austrian who races for Decathlon and is out of contract appears to be heading to Luca Guercilena and Juan Ayuso's Lidl-Trek. Tudor did the same thing for Bahrain with Eulalio for 22-year-old Frenchman Mathys Rondel: he is 12th in the standings, 43 seconds outside the top ten. The Frenchman, who like his father comes from speed roller skating, will remain with Fabian Cancellara's team, which has locked him up until 2030.