MILAN: This year鈥檚 Giro d鈥橧talia is being billed as a two-horse race between the experienced Primoz Roglic and the younger Remco Evenepoel.

But the Italian Grand Tour, which starts on Saturday, is often wet, wild and unpredictable 鈥� especially with a brutal final week.

Both Roglic and Evenepoel know that anything can happen over a three-week race and that even unheralded outsiders could lift the 鈥淭rofeo Senza Fine鈥� in Rome at the end of the month.

Evenepoel became world champion last year and the Belgian also claimed his first Grand Tour success when he won the Spanish Vuelta, ending a run of three straight victories for Roglic.

The 23-year-old Evenepoel comes into the Giro having won the prestigious Liege鈥揃astogne鈥揕iege last month for the second year in a row.

鈥淚 think I can be here only with a positive feeling,鈥� Evenepoel said Thursday. 鈥淚 just won Liege for a second time, so that鈥檚 a good way to start the Giro. The season has been very good so far. I won the UAE tour, we came second in Catalunya with a small margin and a nice race.

鈥淪o I think here I can be with a lot of confidence and a lot of trust and belief at the start 鈥� I鈥檓 here with a lot of positive vibes and good feelings for the start of the Giro.鈥�

Evenepoel finished second to Roglic by just six seconds in the Catalonia Volta and the week-long race boosted the Soudal Quick-Step rider鈥檚 confidence in his ability to compete with the Slovenian.

鈥淟ast year I had still some doubts that I could have the same level as him in the mountains,鈥� Evenepoel said. 鈥淏ut I think these doubts, I could wash them away after Catalunya. We were on the very same level when we speak about climbing.

鈥淪o I hope that I can be on the same level as him in the climbs and just be on a better level in the time trials. That鈥檚 the good recipe to try and beat him. But of course, he鈥檚 Olympic champion in time trial as well, so it鈥檚 not going to be easy.鈥�

Evenepoel crashed out of the 2021 Giro, the only time he has competed in the Italian Grand Tour. That was his first race back after a serious accident the previous year that left him with a broken pelvis after a crash sent him flying off the side of a bridge.

That also happened in Italy, in the Tour of Lombardy.

鈥淚t鈥檚 true that the results haven鈥檛 been the greatest in Italy, so it鈥檚 time to change that,鈥� Evenepoel said.

Roglic was third in the 2019 Giro but has failed to finish three of his past four Grand Tours. The Jumbo-Visma rider had to withdraw from both the Spanish Vuelta and Tour de France last year following crashes during the races.

鈥淚鈥檓 now for quite a while at the best level, or competing with top guys and when you are all the time there a lot of nice things happen, but there鈥檚 also a lot of not so nice things 鈥� it鈥檚 a part of it,鈥� Roglic said.

鈥淏ut now we are here and looking forward to this next adventure.鈥�

At 33, Rogli膷 is a decade older than Evenepoel and he hopes that plays out in his favor.

鈥淚鈥檓 like a wine, the older the better,鈥� he said with a laugh. 鈥淔or sure you grow up, while getting older you are definitely wiser, you have more experiences.

鈥淔or sure he (Evenepoel) is one of the strongest ones. I mean, he just recently won Liege, he鈥檚 in super great shape. The rest of us will try to make his life a bit harder going toward Rome.鈥�

Two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar hadn鈥檛 planned to make his Giro debut this year and remains sidelined after wrist surgery.

INEOS ARMADA

Ineos Grenadiers heads into the Giro looking for a third success in four years.

And the team isn鈥檛 leaving anything to chance as it seeks to end a two-year wait for success in a Grand Tour, since Egan Bernal won the Giro in 2021.

Ineos will be spearheaded by joint leaders Tao Geoghegan Hart and Geraint Thomas, whose Giro fortunes have been very different.

Thomas had to abandon the Italian Grand Tour twice. In 2017, he was involved in a crash caused by a police motorbike, and three years later he fractured his hip after a drinks bottle became lodged under his wheel.

Geoghegan Hart is the only previous Giro winner (2020) in this year鈥檚 race.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter what happened before Saturday,鈥� Geoghegan Hart said. 鈥淭he deeper you go into the race, nothing matters what you鈥檝e done before. Even how you rode on stage one, two, three, four doesn鈥檛 mean anything when you鈥檙e in stage 18, 19, 20.

鈥淪o we鈥檙e looking forward to the race and getting stuck into it and doing our best together. We鈥檝e done a lot of races together and we can communicate well.鈥�

THE FINAL WEEK

The race will likely be decided in the Dolomites Range in what promises to be an action-packed, demanding week before the final day鈥檚 ride through the streets of Rome on May 28.

Three of the last six stages have been given the maximum difficulty rating of five stars, including the penultimate day鈥檚 time trial. The week kicks off with the Sabbio Chiese to Monte Bondone stage, with over 5,000 meters of elevation.

Stage 19 has no flat sections and has five classified climbs including the Passo Giau, the Passo Tre Croci and the finish up the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, with gradients of up to 18 percent.

鈥淭he last week is so hard and so brutal that you can even take the (leader鈥檚) jersey on stage 20 and become the winner of of the Giro this year,鈥� Evenepoel said. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 all about the last days.鈥�