Punchy climbs, a summit finish and the Pogačar factor – Giro d’Italia braced for toughest start

There was a time when the Giro d’Italia did gentle introductions. In generations past, the opening road stage often amounted to a relatively forgiving procession before a late injection of pace and an inevitable bunch finish.

The fast men jousted for the first maglia rosa of the race, while everybody else enjoyed a largely untroubled afternoon as they set out on their three-week endeavour. There was something of a quid pro quo, in other words. A pink jersey for a sprinter and one day less for everybody else.