Giro d’Italia 2022 sprinters guide: Who will win the maglia ciclamino? Mark Cavendish, Mathieu van der Poel?
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Updated 05/05/2022 at 16:10 GMT
With at least six stages almost guaranteed to end in a sprint, there will be opportunities aplenty for the fast men of the Giro d’Italia. It remains to be seen if the maglia ciclamino will go to a pure sprinter like Caleb Ewan and Mark Cavendish, a puncheur like Mathieu van der Poel, or a consistent finisher who should go the distance, such as Giacomo Nizzolo or Magnus Cort.
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The last of our pre-race previews for the 105th edition of the Giro d’Italia homes in on the fast men of the peloton: the sprinters who will do battle over at least six stages, and perhaps as many as nine.
Stages 3 (Kaposvar to Balatonfured), 5 (Catania to Messina), 6 (Palmi to Scalea), 11 (Santarcangelo di Romagna to Reggio Emilia), 13 (Sanremo to Cuneo) and 18 (Borgo Valsugana to Treviso) look nailed on to finish with a bunch sprint. But the opening stage from Budapest to Visegrad could still end up with a sprinter in pink despite the punchy final 4km rise to the line, while Stages 8 in Naples and 10 (Pescara to Jesi) could see some stayers contest the finale.
The points classification has been won by Peter Sagan, Arnaud Demare, Pascal Ackermann, Elia Viviani and Fernando Gaviria in the last five years since Giacomo Nizzolo took back-to-back red jerseys in the pre-ciclamino days. The big question now is whether any of the pure sprinters will stick out the final week in the mountains or whether the cyclamen jersey will be won by the fastest rider who doesn’t throw in the towel.
Let’s take a closer look at whose wheel to follow in the bunch gallops…
Pure sprinters: Caleb Ewan, Arnaud Demare, Fernando Gaviria
On paper, Australian pocket-rocket Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) is the fastest man on the start list. The 27-year-old has five Giro stages to his name and has picked up at least one win in each of the four stage races he had ridden so far this season. Ewan will take some beating, but it’s unlikely the carrot of the maglia ciclamino will outweigh the stick of the mountains in the final week.
Two years ago, Arnaud Demare’s four wins at the Giro made a mockery of Groupama-FDJ’s decision not to take the Frenchman to the Tour. But fast forward eight months and Demare bombed at the Tour, finishing no higher than fourth before missing the cut at the end of the opening week. This year, the closest the 30-year-old has come to a win came in Stage 3 of Tirreno-Adriatico, where he was beaten by Ewan. An early win would do Demare’s confidence a world of good.
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It's been three years since Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) last won a stage on a Grand Tour. The Colombian took two wins in the Tour of Oman in February but still looks a shadow of his former self during his halcyon days at Quick-Step. Still only 27, Gaviria could get his career back on track with a win or two in Italy.
Versatile finishers: Magnus Cort, Diego Ulissi
A victory in his debut Giro d’Italia would see Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost) join the elusive club of riders with wins in all three of cycling’s Grand Tours. The 29-year-old Dane notched a hat-trick in last year’s Vuelta as he showcased his ability to win over a variety of terrain. His versatility should pay dividends in the finishes that are far from flat.
Another rider who likes the punchy sprints and the kind of testing circuit race that we will see in the eighth stage in Naples is Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates). Gaviria will be the team’s man for the fast finishes, but Ulissi is a Swiss army knife who will make sure he’s in the mix for a win or two.
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Knocking-on-the-door sprinters: Phil Bauhaus, Simone Consonni, Alberto Dainese
Germany’s Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) has yet to finish higher than fourth in a Grand Tour stage but he won the final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico this spring and came second twice in the Volta a Catalunya – on both occasions behind sprinters who are not riding this Giro. Bauhaus has 18 pro wins to his name and so it’s only a matter of time before he strikes gold on the centre stage.
At the other end of the spectrum, Simone Consonni (Cofidis) only has one career win to his name – from the Tour of Slovenia in 2018 – but he has been getting closer and closer to that elusive major win. In last year’s Giro – his third – he came second, albeit in a stage that wasn’t a sprint. The Italian only has one top five this year, mind, so the wait may last a little bit longer.
A safer bet, perhaps, for making the step up is Consonni’s compatriot Alberto Dainese (Team DSM). The 24-year-old notched five top fives in last year’s Vuelta, including second place behind the imperious Fabio Jakobsen in Stage 8. He’ll never be a favourite, but he’ll put himself in a position to pounce should any of the more established stars have an off day.
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Veterans: Mark Cavendish, Sacha Modolo
It’s been nine years since Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) last graced the Giro with his presence, the Manxman winning five stages in 2013 to secure the maglia ciclamino and take his career tally on the Giro to 15. No current rider has more Giro stage wins to his name – in fact, Cav has the same number as Demare, Ewan and Gaviria combined – and he’ll be looking to add to that in a bid to secure a starting berth at Quick-Step for the Tour.
The presence of his usual lead-out man (and fellow veteran) Michael Morkov will help keep Cavendish grounded; it’s a proven winning combo and there’s no reason – except the one called Ewan – why the duo cannot continue delivering the goods in May. Should Cavendish, who will turn 37 during the Giro, get tailed off or lose a wheel, teammate Davide Ballerini is an able deputy.
Two years Cavendish’s junior, Italy’s Sacha Modolo (Bardiani-CSF-Faizane) has not won on his home tour since notching a brace back in 2015. Don’t hold your breath for that to change: his last appearance on the Giro came in 2019 when he only once scraped the top 10 before failing to finish the seventh stage. In fact, it’s way more likely for Morkov or teammate Filippo Fiorelli to win something than Modolo.
The stayer: Giacomo Nizzolo
Still seeking his first win for Israel-Premier Tech, Giacomo Nizzolo twice won the Giro’s points classification (2015 and 2016) without actually winning a stage. The missing piece of the jigsaw finally came last year amid emotional scenes when the Italian soared to glory in Stage 13 at Verona.
It’s worth pointing out that Nizzolo, for all his early career staying power, has failed to finish five of his last six Grand Tours, and hasn’t completed a Giro since that second points classification win in 2016. But while his big triumphs come very seldom, the 33-year-old is capable of consistent finishes and picking up points accordingly.
Debutants: Mathieu van der Poel, Biniam Girmay, Cees Bol
After making such a huge impression in his debut Tour de France last year, Dutch superstar Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) tries his hand at the Giro. Success could come as early as the opening stage, with Van der Poel in possession of the kind of uphill kick that could guide him to pink at Visegrad.
While the 27-year-old isn’t an out-and-out sprinter, there are at least three stages with his name on, and should things come down to a reduced bunch sprint on any of the flatter stages, you’ll be sure to see Van der Poel give it a pop. But with the Tour still his major objective this summer, it remains to be seen if the Dutchman will go the distance. He has said he intends to get to Verona – but he would say that, wouldn’t he?
Having become the first Black African rider to win a cobbled classic at Gent-Wevelgem, Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) makes his Grand Tour debut amid much expectation. It’s hard to gauge how the 22-year-old will fare – particularly after his breakthrough spring. After all, he only came 38th in his return to racing at Eschborn-Frankfurt last week. A stage win would represent another huge stride forward for African cycling – and it’s not beyond Girmay’s reach.
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Also making his Giro debut is the rangy Dutch sprinter Cees Bol (Team DSM). The 26-year-old has had a rotten season peppered with DNFs and just one top five finish. But he came close to a win in his second Tour in 2020 and so Bol should not be ruled out to break his duck.
The puncheurs: Andrea Vendrame, Stefano Oldani
Italy’s Andrea Vendrame (Ag2R-Citroen) is a sprinter by trade but has morphed into a rider capable of getting over the steep stuff – as we saw with his win in the hilly stage to Bagno di Romagna in last year’s Giro. Compatriot Stefano Oldani (Alpecin-Fenix) took a few top 10s in last year’s Giro in his last season for Lotto Soudal. This year he’s come second in the Volta Limburg Classic as his push for a maiden career win continues.
The Belgians: Edward Theuns, Dries De Bondt
Yet to win on a Grand Tour, Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo) came closest in the Vuelta in 2019 when he was pipped by Sam Bennett in Stage 3 to Alicante. The 31-year-old makes his Giro debut off the back of a winless spring, but fifth in Scheldeprijs and sixth in Eschborn-Frankfurt give hope.
On stages not targeted by teammate Van der Poel, Dries De Bondt (Alpecin-Fenix) could try his hand. His best result was fourth in last year’s Giro but the 30-year-old has a couple of podiums to his name in 2022.
Outsiders: Davide Cimolai, Jakub Mareczko, Vincenzo Albanese, Filippo Fiorelli, Davide Ballerini
And now for the Italian also-rans… They have a single win between them but will look to sneak in and make their presence known in the bunch sprints. That solitary scalp came from Jakub Mareczko (Alpecin-Fenix) in the Tour of Antalya back in February.
Vincenzo Albanese (EOLO-Kometa) has had the best season of the quartet, the 25-year-old posting a flurry of top 10 finishes including two runner-up spots in the Vuelta Asturias behind Simon Yates. Filippo Fiorelli (Bardiani-CSF-Faizane) is a younger and possibly faster alternative to team-mate Modolo, while Davide Cimolai (Cofidis) will hope for an upturn after five DNFs this spring. The most likely winner of all these Italian stallions is Davide Ballerini (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) although the 27-year-old will have to do so on a day when teammate Cavendish is off the boil or out of the frame.
How does the maglia ciclamino work?
Points are up for grabs at the finish and at both intermediate sprints, with the allocation depending on the terrain. Here is how the points are distributed:
- Category A+B (Stages 1, 3, 11, 18) offer points for the first 15 finishers: 50-35-25-18-14-12-10-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. For the intermediate sprint there are points for the first eight: 20-12-8-6-4-3-2-1
- Category C (Stages 5, 6, 8, 13) offer points for the first 10: 25-18-12-8-6-5-4-3-2-1. For the intermediate sprint there are points for the first five: 10-6-3-2-1
- Category D+E (Stages 4, 7, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20) offer points for the first 10: 15-12-9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 and for the first intermediate sprint of every stage there are points for the first eight: 12-8-6-5-4-3-2-1
Who will win the maglia ciclamino?
On paper, Cavendish and Ewan are favourites but neither rider is likely to make it all the way to Verona given their Tour aspirations and shared loathing of the mountains. Van der Poel says he intends to finish his debut Giro, but unless he has a commanding lead in the points classification, that seems rather fanciful too.
That leaves a cluster of riders in with a chance, including Demare, Bauhaus, Girmay and Nizzolo. It would be a huge ask for Girmay in his debut Grand Tour, so the Eritrean can probably be discounted. Of those names, Nizzolo jumps out – but he’s on a terrible run of failing to finish his last four Grand Tours. Perhaps all this is paving the way for a versatile rider in the mould of Magnus Cort to succeed? The Dane, by elimination, must be favourite to don the maglia ciclamino on the streets of Verona in just over three weeks’ time.
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