Racing

Giro d’Italia 2015: the contenders – form guide

Which of the maglia rosa contenders are in the best form?

Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo)

Nairo Quintana (Movistar) won the Giro d'Italia in 2014 but won't defend his title (Pic: Sirotti)
Tinkoff-Saxo's Alberto Contador is the pre-race favourite (Pic: Sirotti)
Richie Porte continued his superb start to the season at the Giro del Trentino (Pic: Sirotti)
Fabio Aru announced himself with victory on the Montecampione last year (pic: Sirotti)
Rigoberto Uran will join Pierre Rolland in spear-heading Cannondale-Garmin's new GC line-up (Pic: Sirotti)
Domenico Pozzovivo has been in good form, but needs to turn top-five finishes into podiums (Pic: Sirotti)
Damiano Caruso proved his Grand Tour pedigree last year, but BMC Racing's top-five target may be a bit too ambitious (Pic: Sirotti)
Ryder Hesjedal celebrates his 2012 triumph on the podium (pic: Sirotti)

Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo)

Former champion Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) made a Giro-Tour double his major target in what is set to be his penultimate season as a professional.

And Contador, who claimed the sixth Grand Tour win of his career at the 2014 Giro d’Italia, not including the two stripped from his palmares after his failed test for clenbuterol, is the bookies favourite for the 2015 Giro.

Contador’s form hasn’t been earth-shattering so far this season, despite a promising start when he led the Ruta del Sol before finishing second behind Chris Froome (Team Sky).

But he hasn’t been outside the top-ten in any stage race he has completed since returning to the professional peloton in 2012, and he will be backed by a fiercely-strong team in Italy including fellow former winner Ivan Basso.

While the fact that Contador looked out-of-sorts at Tirreno-Adriatico, and was outshone by Porte at the Volta a Catalunya, may be a concern in some quarters, but a three-week Grand Tour is an entirely different kettle of fish – and in that regard, Contador is unparalleled in the modern peloton.

Tinkoff-Saxo squad: CONTADOR, Ivan Basso, Manuele Boaro, Christopher Juul-Jensen, Roman Kreuziger, Sergio Paulinho, Michael Rogers, Ivan Rovny, Matteo Tosatto.

Form guide

Best Giro d’Italia finish: Winner (2008)
Season highlights: Ruta del Sol – stage win, second overall; Tirreno-Adriatico – fifth; Volta a Catalunya – fourth
UCI WorldTour ranking: 23rd