Roglic, Del Toro, Pidcock set for explosive San Luca battle - Giro dell'Emilia preview

The 108th edition of the Giro dell'Emilia sees the riders take on 199.2km from Mirandol to the traditional finish on the hallowed slopes of the San Luca (2.1km at 9.4%) above Bologna, with the total elevation reaching 2,905 metres.

The finale features five wicked and cruel ascents of the San Luca, which is preceded by the small kicker of the Monte Albano (1.2km at 5.5%). But before the riders get to the local laps, there are five ascents to deal with, the toughest being the Monzuno (9.1km at 5.2%), which is crested exactly 100km from the finish line. A potential launch pad? The final climb before the localised laps is the Monte Calvo (4.2km at 5.4%), with gradients hitting 9.8% towards the top of the climb.

Last year's race saw Tadej Pogačar win with a 37km solo, in his first race in the rainbow jersey back, while a thrilling 2023 edition saw Primož Roglič out-kick Pogačar in one of his final races for Jumbo-Visma.

Although the European Championships this weekend has had an impact on the field for the Giro dell'Emilia, a number of star riders are taking the start on October 4, with many fresh off the back of competing in the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda. 

One main contender includes three-time winner Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), who finished 11th in the road race on September 28, finishing in a group with Tom Pidcock (Q36.5). 

The parcours is tailor made for Roglič, and if it came down to a reduced bunch, kicking for the win, he remains one of the best in those situations.

Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) is a rider who simply cannot stop winning in 2025, absolutely dominating in the Italian races before the World Championships, taking home four victories. In the road race at the World Championships, Del Toro had a marginal shot at glory and was clear with Pogačar, but unfortunately for the 21-year-old Mexican, he went into the red and dropped off to finish a respectable seventh. 

Del Toro's chances of competing in this edition of the Giro dell'Emilia are high, considering he has the ability to compete in a variety of racing situations, either a solo or a reduced bunch kick.

Fresh from a podium at the World Championships, Ben Healy, will always obtain the ability to go on a stomping long range solo show, the peloton will be keeping tabs on the 25-year-old Irishman as he could attack at any moment. 

Tom Pidcock has the potential to achieve a good result and even win the Giro dell'Emilia on Saturday as the Briton took 10th in Rwanda. The build-up of the parcours is very similar to the fully neutralised stage 11 of the Vuelta a Espana to Bilbao, which Pidcock would have likely won. 

Other riders to watch out for include Richard Carapaz (EF Education - Easypost), Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) and Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious).