Three and a half thousand kilometres of athletic endeavour and meticulous logistics. Winding up and down mountain passes, sweeping along coastlines, hurtling through towns and cities. The grand tours are the ultimate expression of bike racing's epic nature — survival of the fastest and the most formidable.

For many, the Giro d'Italia is the most captivating race in the world. Icons of the road — from Coppi to Cavendish — have made their name in pink. The fans, the communities, the regional pride and the festival that arrives every May have shaped the sport for generations.

"The Giro is so much about passion," says Doug Ryder, Team Principal of Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling. "This is about the roots and heart of cycling."

But the Giro means something different depending on where you sit in the bunch and when you move off the front. For Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling’s Matteo Moschetti, it's six days of opportunity in a three-week journey of survival. For teammate Chris Harper, it's the attritional nature of this race where he thrives.

Matteo Moschetti grew up watching the Giro after school, then going outside to ride like his heroes he'd just seen on television. For the Milanese speedster, the race has always felt personal.

"In Italy, we are really attached to the race. It's something that belongs to the people. The Giro passes through your region, your city, your village, and people are really proud of it."

Back racing after an illness paused his 2026 campaign, Matteo arrives at this Giro more prepared than last year's last-minute wildcard call-up allowed. His targets are clear: the six sprint stages. But the approach to each one begins days before the finish line.

"Sprinting is still one of the only disciplines where, even if you're not the strongest that day, you can still try to win with tactics, positioning, feeling, and timing. Sometimes you're thinking about those stages three or four days before. You try to spend as little energy as you can to arrive at the sprint ready."

"For most people, they are boring stages — but for a sprinter, it's the day. You're happy to have your chance, but at the same time you know it's all in."

One stage carries extra weight. Stage 15 finishes in Milan, passing close to his hometown in Lombardia. "My family and friends will be there. That would be a really special one to win."

The mountain stages, though, are a different calculation entirely. "Sometimes you are chasing from the first kilometre, and then you just get into survival mode. The goal is to arrive at the finish line within the time cut. It's an effort you share with other riders in the gruppetto. When you arrive, there is relief — and also pride that you made it."

Where Matteo endures the mountains, Chris Harper comes alive in them. The Australian climber and super domestique returned to the Giro after rerouting his 2026 season following a clavicle fracture — returning in part, because of his admiration for the race.

"I love racing in Italy. They're great fans of the sport, and culturally it's a great country. I like waking up, going down to the bar, and having an espresso that actually tastes good. It's just a nice environment around the race."

Last year, Harper delivered one of the Giro's defining moments — winning stage 20 on the Colle delle Finestre on a day when, by his own admission, he had written himself off.

"In the morning, I wasn't really thinking about getting in the break. I thought my chances in the race were over and I just needed to get to Rome. But I ended up in the break, and on the first long climb I started to feel pretty good. I thought, 'I'm here, I may as well go full gas and see what happens.'"

"On the Finestre, I just rode at my own pace. Near the top I was alone. On the gravel, some of it was quite loose — you couldn't really get out of the saddle without the back wheel sliding. It wasn't until the last kilometre that I realised I was going to win."

For those lining up at the Giro for the first time, his advice is straightforward: "Go in with an open mind, take it day by day, and try to enjoy it as much as you can. Inevitably you're going to suffer. You have to stay level-headed and not panic — because it can turn around. Sometimes your great days can come after one of your worst days on the bike."

Both riders carry with them a deeper connection to Italian cycling culture — one that extends to the machines they race on. Pinarello has been setting the benchmark for grand tour racing for more than 50 years, still designing and building in Treviso, 30km north of Venice, since their first Giro win with Fausto Bertoglio in 1975.

"Pinarello has always been associated with high performance and big champions," says Matteo. "I feel honoured and privileged to ride it."

For Ryder, it's a partnership that reflects the spirit of the race itself. "Everything is made with passion, completely fit for purpose — to do the best job and have the most amazing experience, in the most beautiful place, on the most beautiful bike, in the most beautiful sport."

That feeling — of craft meeting competition, of history meeting ambition — is what makes the Giro unlike anything else.