Egan Bernal, Simon Yates and Remco Evenepoel are bookies’s favourites to win Giro d’Italia 2021
We could be in for a thrilling edition of the Italian Grand Tour - but who are the bookmakers backing?

This year’s Giro d’Italia will feature some of the most exciting talents in cycling, all battling for the first Grand Tour victory of 2021 - but who is the bookmakers’s favourites?
As the Giro gets under way in Turin on May 8, we’ll see the likes of Egan Bernal, Simon Yates, Remco Evenepoel and Romain Bardet also chasing the famous pink jersey on the roads of Italy.
This year’s edition looks like a wide open race and we could be in for some thrills and surprises over the three weeks - here’s who the bookies are expecting to thrive:
The bookies’s favourite to win this year’s Giro is Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), the winner of the 2019 Tour de France, with odds of 11/4.
Bernal has been quiet so far this season, having last raced in mid-March and not winning a race August 2020.
The Colombian has been dealing with back problems which forced him out of last year’s Tour de France, but showed promising signs earlier this year, finishing with a third-place overall finish in the Tour de la Provence where he finished second on the Mont Ventoux/Chalet Reynard stage, and third place in Strade Bianche.
But the Giro will be the first race for the 24-year-old since Tirreno-Adriatico on March 16, where he finished fourth overall.
The next in line to take the pink jersey, according to the bookmakers, is British rider Simon Yates, winner of the 2018 Vuelta a España.
>>> Giro d’Italia 2021 start list: The line-ups for the 104th edition
Yates has unfinished business in Italy after coming within days of victory back in 2018 before he dramatically fell out of contention.
The Team BikeExchange rider currently has odds of 7/2 to win his second Grand Tour.
Yates took his first wins of the season in the Tour of the Alps earlier this month, winning stage two and securing the overall with strong displays on some tough climbs.
After his victory in the Vuelta, Yates hasn’t challenged for an overall Grand Tour title, his best result coming in the 2019 Giro where he finished eighth.
Third favourite to win the 2021 Giro title is Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) at 5/1, who has lived up to the hype over the last few seasons after joining the WorldTour at 18 years old to great fanfare in 2019.
>>> How to watch the Giro d’Italia 2021: Live stream the first Grand Tour of the season
But the 21-year-old Belgian hasn’t raced since August 2020, after he suffered serious injuries in a crash at Il Lombardia, which has left him with ongoing issues.
The superstar rider plans is training at altitude and will make his racing return at the Giro, so victory in his first ever Grand Tour and his first race for nine months would be quite a feat.
Further down the list of bookies’s favourites, we have Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) at 12/1, Britain’s Hugh Carthy (EF Education-Nippo) at 16/1, and Alexander Vlasov (Astana) also at 16/1.
Giro d’Italia 2021 odds (Winner- Oddschecker
Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, at 11/4
Simon Yates (GBr) Team BikeExchange, at 7/2
Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, 5/1
Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 12/1
Hugh Carthy (GBr) EF Education-Nippo, at 16/1
Alexander Vlasov (Rus) Astana, at 16/1
Pavel Sivakov (Rus) Ineos Grenadiers, at 20/1
Jai Hindley (Aus) Team DSM, at 33/1
Daniel Martínez (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, 33/1
Joâo Almeida (Por) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 33/1
All odds correct at time of publication
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
-
-
Geraint Thomas 'helps a brother out', aiding Mark Cavendish's valedictory Giro d'Italia stage win
Cavendish now has one final Giro stage win. Will he get one final Tour de France equivalent in July?
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Charlotte Kool wins final stage of RideLondon-Classique to seal overall victory
Kool edges out Dyget and Van der Duin in bunch sprint
By Stephen Puddicombe • Published
-
100 days until the Tour de France: How the contenders are shaping up
How are the leading GC riders looking a century away from the biggest bike race of them all?
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Egan Bernal to return to racing in late-March
Rod Ellingworth confirms Colombian to return to action in coming weeks, Tour de France place not guaranteed
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
No Egan Bernal at Paris-Nice as knee injury disrupts season
Former Tour de France champion "OK" but return is unknown at the moment
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Egan Bernal set to kick-off 2023 season in Argentina as he targets Tour de France return
Colombian hoping to make a return to Tour de France after successful knee operation
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Remco Evenepoel should ignore Ineos Grenadiers' overtures and stay put at Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl
Interest from a Grand Tour winning machine like Ineos Grenadiers is flattering, but it's not sure to realise the World Champion’s massive potential
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Egan Bernal ends season to return to Colombia for knee surgery
No Il Lombardia or Tour of Croatia for the Colombian as he builds for 2023 comeback
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Egan Bernal to return to racing at Tour of Denmark, eight months after horror crash
Ineos Grenadiers confirm that Tour de France and Giro d'Italia winner will race on Tuesday
By Adam Becket • Last updated
-
Egan Bernal takes next step of his comeback at altitude training camp in Andorra
The Tour de France and Giro d’Italia winner on the road to recovery after horror crash in January
By Tom Thewlis • Last updated