The first Grand Tour of 2022 gets underway on Friday May 6 with the Giro d'Italia, and there are a number of riders expected to battle it out for overall victory over the three-week stage race.
Starting in Budapest, Hungary, for the Grande Partenza, the Giro peloton will spend three days in the central European country before heading to Sicily and travelling north towards the finish in Verona.
The start list includes former winners Richard Carapaz and Tom Dumoulin, who will both hope to reproduce the form this May that saw them wear the pink jersey on the final day in 2019 and 2017, respectively. Also among the riders competing at the Giro is Simon Yates, who could add a second Grand Tour victory to the Vuelta a España title he won in 2018.
Meanwhile, João Almeida, Pello Bilbao and Miguel Ángel López are starting the Italian race looking to cause some upsets, with the trio of riders all expected to lead their teams. With that in mind, which riders are considered by the bookies as favourites to win the 2022 edition of the Giro d'Italia?
Oddschecker shows Richard Carapaz as the favourite to wear the maglia rosa for the second time in his career, with the Ecuadorian rider leading Ineos Grenadiers to try and retain the title for the team for the third consecutive year. Carapaz won the title back in 2019 while with Movistar, too, meaning his experience places him as the bookies' favourite.
Carapaz's best odds of 17/10 means he is priced quite low as well, with Simon Yates the second favourite with odds of 6/1. The British rider finished third in the Giro last year, and has already spoken of his desire to at least emulate that performance in 2022.
João Almeida comes in as the third favourite, with Oddschecker pricing him at 7/1. Partially in the background due to UAE Team Emirates team-mate Tadej Pogačar stealing the headlines, Almeida could announce himself to the cycling world with a strong showing in Italy.
The experienced Mikel Landa comes in at 9/1, despite suggestions Bahrain-Victorious will prefer Pello Bilbao - priced at 33/1 - to lead the team. The pair worked well together in the Tour of the Alps last month though, and a repeat of their performances could see either rider challenging at the front of the pack.
At 12/1, Miguel Ángel López is fancied to ride strongly at the Giro. The Colombian showed plenty of promise in 2018, when he finished third in both the Giro and the Vuelta, but he hasn't been able to improve on those results in the intervening period.
Tom Dumoulin has also faced a difficult couple of years, but the Dutchman looks on the way back to rediscovering the form which helped him win the 2017 title. Jumbo-Visma's lead rider in Italy, Dumoulin comes in at 20/1.
Bora-Hansgrohe pair Emmanuel Buchmann and Wilco Kelderman both make the top-10 favourites list, according to the bookmakers. Buchmann comes in at 25/1, while Kelderman is 28/1, despite the pair somewhat struggling in the races they have competed in this season.
Rounding out the top-ten favourites is Richie Porte, who, at 37-years-old, is facing a race against time to secure his maiden Grand Tour victory. Priced at 40/1, the Australian could represent a calculated risk due to his fine form, as he came fourth overall at Tirreno-Adriatico before securing seventh in the Tour of the Alps this season.
GIRO D'ITALIA 2022 ODDS (WINNER - ODDSCHECKER)
Richard Carapaz (Ecu) Ineos Grenadiers @ 17/10
Simon Yates (GBr) BikeExchange-Jayco @ 6/1
João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates @ 7/1
Mikel Landa (Spa) Bahrain-Victorious @ 9/1
Miguel Ángel López (Col) Astana Qazaqstan @ 12/1
Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Jumbo-Visma @ 20/1
Emmanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe @ 25/1
Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Bora-Hansgrohe @ 28/1
Pello Bilbao (Spa) Bahrain-Victorious @ 33/1
Richie Porte (Aus) Ineos Grenadiers @ 40/1
All odds correct at the time of publication
