In the 2025 Giro d'Italia Grande Partenze host nation of Albania, for generations, people have liked to do what they call the xhiro, which is essentially a daily opportunity to gossip with neighbours, craftily disguised as an evening walk.
The 2025 Giro is only racing in Albania for three days, but in equivalent leisurely discussions during the countdown to Friday's opening stage, the hot topic – the 'xhiro about the Giro', you might say – is simple: What will this year's edition be like without the presence of Tadej Pogačar?
The short answer has to be: very different, given last year from beginning to end, Pogačar had a complete stranglehold on the Giro d'Italia, claiming six stage wins en route to the biggest winning GC margin – 9:56 – since 1965.
