GIRO PREVIEW: L’improbabile, probabile...

NOWADAYS, IT’S A BIT POINTLESS TO ASSESS whether any of the three Grand Tours favours time triallists or climbers. To reach the final podium you need to be able to do both – unless there are no time trials or just a short prologue to begin proceedings, which happens more not than often. This year’s Giro d’Italia, the 102nd edition of La Corsa Rosa, with three individual time trials, does not buck the trend.

However one approaches a Grand Tour depends on the rider more so than the course presented. Bradley Wiggins rode the big mountains like time trials then stamped his authority in the aforementioned discipline, which enabled him to finish fourth at the 2009 Tour de France then win three years later. Tom Dumoulin does the same, though seems better at responding to changes of rhythm on climbs