Evenepoel and Roglic favorites for Giro d’Italia cycling race

MILAN: This year’s Giro d’Italia is being billed as a two-horse race between the experienced Primoz Roglic and the younger Remco Evenepoel.

But the Italian Grand Tour, which starts on Saturday, is often wet, wild and unpredictable — especially with a brutal final week.

Both Roglic and Evenepoel know that anything can happen over a three-week race and that even unheralded outsiders could lift the “Trofeo Senza Fine” in Rome at the end of the month.

Evenepoel became world champion last year and the Belgian also claimed his first Grand Tour success when he won the Spanish Vuelta, ending a run of three straight victories for Roglic.

The 23-year-old Evenepoel comes into the Giro having won the prestigious Liege–Bastogne–Liege last month for the second year in a row.

“I think I can be here only with a positive feeling,” Evenepoel said Thursday. “I just won Liege for a second time, so that’s a good way to start the Giro. The season has been very good so far. I won the UAE tour, we came second in Catalunya with a small margin and a nice race.

“So I think here I can be with a lot of confidence and a lot of trust and belief at the start … I’m here with a lot of positive vibes and good feelings for the start of the Giro.”

Evenepoel finished second to Roglic by just six seconds in the Catalonia Volta and the week-long race boosted the Soudal Quick-Step rider’s confidence in his ability to compete with the Slovenian.

“Last year I had still some doubts that I could have the same level as him in the mountains,” Evenepoel said. “But I think these doubts, I could wash them away after Catalunya. We were on the very same level when we speak about climbing.

“So I hope that I can be on the same level as him in the climbs and just