Racing

Giro d’Italia 2015 – preview: where the race will be won or lost

Long time trial, brutal climbs and unpaved roads to decide the final destination of the pink jersey

Race-defining

The 2015 Giro d'Italia boasts a balanced parcours, which has attracted a stellar cast of riders (pic: RCS Sport)
The first summit finish of this year's race is on stage five (pic: RCS Sport)
The sole individual time trial will offer the likes of Rigoberto Uran and Richie Porte to make big strides overall (pic: RCS Sport)
Stage 15 finishes atop the Madonna di Campiglio, scene of Marco Pantani's solo triumph in 1999 (pic: Sirotti)
Stage 16 is packed with brutal climbs, not least the Passo di Motorolo (pic: RCS Sport)
Stage 19 is bottom heavy, with three climbs packed in after more than 150 kilometres will already have been raced (pic: RCS Sport)
The Cima Coppi, this year, is on the 'unpaved' climb, the Colle delle Finestre - the latter half is untarmacked while the entire climb boasts a mean average gradient (pic: RCS Sport)

Race-defining

The 98^th Giro d’Italia rolls out on Saturday (May 9), with a team time trial just outside San Remo kicking off the race for the pink jersey.

The season’s first Grand Tour boasts a varied parcours and has attracted a fittingly stellar cast, with Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) and in-form Richie Porte (Team Sky) among the contenders.

We have already looked at how the men in contention to replicate Nairo Quintana’s 2014 victory are shaping up.

But where will those riders be making their winning moves, and where will the challenge of their rivals end up falling by the wayside?

We have picked out the stages which are set to define this year’s race over the following pages.