Giro d'Italia outright odds: Tadej Pogacar's 2/9 prompts search for each-way options

The first of cycling's three Grand Tours begins on Saturday, as the peloton descends on Piedmont for the opening stage of the 107th Giro d'Italia.

Defending champion Primoz Roglic is absent as he targets winning this summer's Tour de France to complete the set of Giro d'Italia, Tour and Vuelta a Espana.

Geraint Thomas, the rider he overhauled in the penultimate day's time trial of last year's Giro, is back to try to go one better, but Tadej Pogacar looks the rider to beat.

However, he is such a short price that it seems wise to consider other options when assessing who might be wearing the Maglia Rosa on the final podium in Rome on 26th May.

Rider	Odds
Tadej Pogacar	2/9
Geraint Thomas	11/2
Romain Bardet	16/1
Ben O'Connor	18/1
Antonio Tiberi	18/1
Damiano Caruso	20/1
Daniel Martinez	20/1
Cian Uijtdebroeks	22/1
Thymen Arensman	28/1
Florian Lipowitz	50/1

Tadej Pogacar

Pogacar has avoided illness and, unlike several of his rivals, crashes this season and he looks to secure a rare Giro-Tour double in a single season.

The route's reduced climbing and two time-trials may have persuaded the Slovene that this is a good year to try and become the first rider to win both the pink and yellow jerseys in a season since Marco Pantani in 1998.

Pogacar has already won three of the four races he has entered this season, triumphing in Strade Bianche, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Volta a Catalunya, so confidence will not be an issue.

UAE Team Emirates have also provided him with a strong support team capable of guiding the 25-year-old through the Giro's characteristic chaos.

Cycling is rarely a procession but Pogacar has made the podium in all five Grand Tours he has entered and the market shows that he is tough to back against.

Geraint Thomas

One last dance for Thomas? Last year, the Ineos Grenadiers man came agonisingly close to adding the Giro to his 2018 Tour de France win, losing to Roglic by just 14 seconds after succumbing to the Slovene in the penultimate day's time-trial.

That was the fourth time he has stood on the podium in a Grand Tour and a fifth such result is realistic after mirroring last year's steady build-up by taking in three shorter stage races: Volta ao Algarve, Volta a Catalunya and Tour of the Alps.

The time-trials on stages seven and 14 could prove fruitful for the 37-year-old, while teammate Thymen Arensman, who was sixth last year, possibly provides a tactical foil for Thomas to thrive off.

Romain Bardet

The six mountain-top finishes should suit Romain Bardet, who secured a morale boost with his recent podium behind Pogacar in Liege.

Bardet remains one of the peloton's strongest climbers and at 33, knows how to hone his form over three weeks.

The Team DSM-firmenich PostNL rider has finished in the top 10 in seven of his 15 Grand Tours, including two podiums at the Tour.

The Frenchman could well improve on his previous Giro best of seventh in 2021 and his experience means he is worth a look to make the top three and possibly take the mountains jersey. 

Ben O'Connor

Repeated heartache at the Tour de France since finishing fourth in 2021 has persuaded Ben O'Connor to switch his focus from the Grande Boucle to this year's Giro.

Riding for a French team, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, it is not a decision that will have been taken lightly but the Australian has good memories of the Giro, having taken a stage victory in 2020.

O'Connor believes moving his focus away from the Tour to target fresh goals can help reinvigorate him and after finishing second overall at the UAE Tour, fifth at Tirreno-Adriatico and second at Alps, he appears a good each-way option.

Antonio Tiberi

Italian youngster Antonio Tiberi will have the home support behind him and is in decent form, finishing eighth in Catalunya before making the podium in the Alps.

The 22-year-old finished 18th in last year's Vuelta and is due to make his Giro debut as part of a stacked Bahrain Victorious squad.

However, such depth could breed problems, with Wout Poels and Damiano Caruso also set to ride.

Damiano Caruso

Caruso was fourth last year and despite his advancing years, the 36-year-old remains a contender.

The Italian was among the few Giro participants who started the recent Tour de Romandie but withdrew after falling down the general classification on the difficult penultimate stage.

He has a week to recover, but it will be interesting to see how his team balances his, Tiberi's, and Poels' individual ambitions.

Daniel Martinez

Roglic's decision not to defend his title means fellow Bora-Hansgrohe newbie Daniel Martinez has been given sole leadership and will be looking to make a good first impression following his winter switch from Ineos.

Martinez finished fifth at the Giro in 2021 and has had a decent start to the year, winning two stages and the mountains classification at the Volta ao Algarve and should be rested up after a knee injury curtailed his race at Tirreno.

A rider who likes to go under the radar, expect him to come good in the final week and feature in the finales on stages 17 and 19 to Passo Brocon and Sappada.

Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.