With the 2025 Giro d’Italia set to get underway in Albania on Friday, groups proceed to announce their squads for the primary Grand Tour of the season.
Reigning champions UAE Team Emirates-XRG will likely be with out final yr’s Tadej Pogačar however have named a powerful line up that features Juan Ayuso, Adam Yates, Isaac del Toro, Jay Vine, Brandon McNulty, Rafał Majka, Igor Arrieta and Filippo Baroncini.
Pogačar won’t try a repeat of final yr’s Giro-Tour double after a protracted and tiring Spring Classics marketing campaign, by which he emerged victorious on the Tour of Flanders, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The World Champion has chosen to focus solely on his preparations for the Tour de France in July, the place he will likely be aiming to defend his title for a fourth total victory on the race.
Within the Slovenian’s absence, UAE Crew Emirates-XRG will make use of a twin management technique and trip in help of Ayuso and Yates, within the hopes of reaching the highest step of the rostrum in Rome and retaining the maglia rosa.
“Between myself and Juan I believe we must always have the ability to have a great crack on the final classification and attempt to defend the title, and I’m wanting ahead to getting began in what I hope will likely be a really aggressive three weeks,” Yates stated.
Although each have podiumed in Grand Excursions lately, the 2 teammates are separated by greater than a decade in age and discover themselves at near-opposite ends of their careers.
At 22 years previous, Ayuso will likely be driving the fourth Grand Tour of his profession, while Yates will likely be collaborating in his fifteenth main three-week race, having turned skilled again in 2014. Ayuso will likely be making his debut look on the Corsa Rosa, while Yates solely has one participation to his title, ending ninth total in 2017.
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“I’m actually excited to begin my first Giro d’Italia. It’s further particular as a result of it’s a brand new race for me and having raced for an Italian workforce [Team Colpack Ballan] earlier than I turned skilled and successful the Child Giro in 2021, I really feel I’ve a particular reference to Italy,” Ayuso stated.
Ayuso has impressed to date in 2025, exhibiting maturity after a fancy 2024 of sickness and disappointment. After starting his season with a top-10 end on the Faun Ardèche Basic, he gained back-to-back races on the Faun Drôme Basic and Trofeo Laigueglia. He then gained the queen stage and took the general victory at Tirreno-Adriatico. He then gained a stage on the Volta a Catalunya, the place he completed second on the final classification to Primož Roglič, who he’ll come up in opposition to as soon as once more on the Giro.
“It’s been an excellent begin to the yr, with some particular victories each for me personally and for the workforce. The aim is to maintain that run and that spirit going for the Giro d’Italia,” Ayuso stated.
“I believe we’ve the strongest workforce within the race and I really feel that’s our largest energy. Now we have robust rivals within the GC, with Roglič specifically, however we’re prepared for the problem.”
Yates solely has one win to his title to date this season, having sealed the general victory on the Tour of Oman in February. His solely different standout outcome got here at Milano-Torino, the place he completed fourth after driving in help of his Giro teammate and eventual race winner Del Toro.
After some early-season setbacks,Yates rode as a domestique for Ayuso at Tirreno and Catalunya, which may as soon as once more develop into the case on the Giro if the British rider fails to remain in competition within the total standings throughout the first week of the race.
But Yates appears decided to benefit from his alternative to steer the workforce.
“The Giro is likely one of the largest races on the calendar and I can’t wait to get stuck-in. I’ve had a strong preparation interval with the workforce at altitude and I really feel able to tackle the problem. We’re coming in with large objectives and personally, I’m motivated to race arduous and go for a great outcome,” the British rider stated.
The workforce across the Anglo-Spanish duo is a mix of skilled Grand Tour riders in Majka, McNulty and Vine, supplemented with a youthful contingent of Giro d’Italia debutants in Baroncini, Del Toro and Arrieta, with the latter additionally making his Grand Tour debut on the race.
