As the Giro D’Italia starts on Friday, the queen race is missing a few of the upper echelon names this time around. There is no Primo Roglic or Tadej Pogacar for the three-plus week tour, which starts on May 6th in Budapest, Hungary. It ends on May 29th with an ITT (individual time trial) in Verona, Italy.
Again we present the top dozen cyclists listed below in our Giro D’Italia Picks for the 2022 Championship. This reveals some intriguing scenarios and an open door for an old favorite. It would appear that some younger riders and veterans alike could surprise. Also, do not forget our Vegas Picks and News which include some Kentucky Derby choices, NBA, and even NHL playoffs.
| Giro D'Italia Outright Odds 2022 |  |
|---|---|
| Richard Carapaz | +125 |
| Joao Almeda | +550 |
| Simon Yates | +550 |
| Mikel Landa | +900 |
| Miguel Angel Lopez | +1000 |
| Roman Bardet | +1400 |
| Tom Dumoulin | +1400 |
| Wilco Kelderman | +2000 |
| Emanuel Buchmann | +2200 |
| Pello Bilbao | +2500 |
| Hugo Carthy | +4000 |
| Giulio Ciccone | +4000 |
Richard Carapaz is a big Giro D’Italia favorite at +125. There is some argument that he should be even closer to even or negative money for this event. Why? Carapaz has shown mostly excellent form in the last couple of years during the pandemic. Even though he did not win the Giro since COVID hit, Carapaz did win the race in 2019 after a series of daring attacks and surviving several late attacks.
In 2020, Carapaz (Ecuador) showed a little power play by switching from Movistar to Team Ineos. Ineos was formerly Team Sky one of the premier teams in cycling…period! He took the torch from fellow South American ascender Nairo Quintana (Colombia). Quintana won the Giro in 2014. Carapaz did not defend in 2020 but finished second in the “King Of The Mountains” at the Tour de France and a runner-up in the Vuelta de Espana.
That second place behind Primo Roglic showed that the 28-year-old could contend in any of the “Big Three” cycling events. 2021 was another solid year for Carapaz as he won the Olympic Men’s Road Race and the Tour de Suisse. Carapaz finished third in the Tour de France as well. He survived the crashes well and became the featured man on Team Ineos.
The big thing at VegasBetting, we suggest is to take a look at the overall results since COVID. Here is why. Carapaz is the only one in the field who has the pedigree, has won before, and is coming into great form at the right time. The stage profiles are set up well enough for him to not have to worry about that dreaded final time trial at the end of May 29th. It is why Richard Carapaz is our top choice to win the 2022 Giro D’Italia.
Simon Yates is a tempting name to consider for the 2022 Giro D’Italia. The British cyclist approaches his 30th birthday (a sort of prime for cyclists on grand tours err it used to be). Yates has overcome adversity after a 2016 doping ban to rebound. He won the 2017 young riders’ classification at the Tour de France and then won the overall 2018 Vuelta de Espana.
Now, the Giro D’Italia has been fraught with heartbreak. In 2018, Yates was leading late in the race going into the “Queen Stage” when disaster struck. Chris Froome of Team Sky launched an incredible attack a long way out. Yates cracked badly and then cracked again towards the final kilometers. He lost 38 minutes to Froome that day and eventually finished 21st overall. It was a lesson learned.
With that knowledge, Yates did not overextend himself and wound up winning the Vuelta de Espana ahead of Alejandro Valverde as the cyclists climbed with the best and then coasted to Madrid. Then came the mixed bag. 2019 saw him win a couple of mountain stages at the Tour de France — one over Pello Bilbao. 2020 was a lost year but 2021 saw him finish third at the Giro D’Italia culminating with a Stage 19 mountaintop triumph.
With all that said, the British cyclist has the goods to come close to Carapaz in Italy. This is because unlike riders of the caliber of Mikel Landa, Miguel Angel Lopez, and Roman Bardet, Simon Yates is truly the one that can come to play any day. That can be scary. He can eat huge chunks of time or have it eaten away. That creates a certain intrigue. It is why his odds shortened before this race. It may be his best shot at just +550.
Again, there are some long shots to take a look at for this year’s Giro D’Italia. One may just be Wilco Kelderman at +2000. He is a bit of a late bloomer but comes off a top-five finish for Bora-Hansgrohe at the Tour de France. People forget that Kelderman was just a couple of stages away from winning the 2020 Giro but fell to third after subpar outings in Stages 20 and 21.
Then, there are the usual suspects, Mikel Landa, Miguel Angel Lopez, and Roman Bardet. At any given time, these riders can all contend for GC at the Giro. However, can they put it all together over the three-week race at the right time?
This is why even with Joao Almeida in the field, Kelderman is still a better look here to maybe snag his first Giro.
Take Richard Carapaz as our top choice to tower over the field and win the 2022 Giro D’Italia.
See the best Vegas online betting sites, like Bovada, where you can wager on this Cycling future and much more for 2022.
