[6] Merckx gradually returned to racing after beating the illness in late March, and writer Giuliano Califano stated that several experts found him to be in great form coming into the Giro.

[6] La Stampa writer Gianni Pignata felt Merckx's form and his poor performances in the early season would provide motivation for this race.

[7] Merckx himself told a radiohost "After my long illness, I am now in an increasing form and I estimate myself already for 80 hundred of my means," before the race started.

[8] José Manuel Fuente (Kas) was thought to have entered the Giro in good form after winning the Vuelta a España weeks earlier.

[10] The third main contender to win the race named by the media was reigning world champion Felice Gimondi (Bianchi).

[4][6] Gimondi was viewed to have a strong team for support which included former world champion and sprinter Marino Basso, Antoine Houbrechts, and Martín Emilio Rodríguez, among others.

"[4] Scic's Gianbattista Baronchelli, Tour de l'Avenir winner Giovanni Battaglin (Jolly Ceramica), and Francesco Moser (Filcas) as three young riders who have the potential to become stars during the race.

[4][11][12] Despite suffering an accident early in the season,[4] Pignata believed Battaglin's participation in the Tour de Romandie provided a great lead-up into the Giro.

[4] Pignata ultimately concluded that these younger riders should not be cautious during the race as it would play into the hands of Merckx, who then would only have to react to Fuente's attacks.

[7] Amid rumors of not participating, Luis Ocaña confirmed his absence due to bronchitis three days prior to the start.

[3] The route for the 1974 edition of the Giro d'Italia was revealed to the public by race director Vincenzo Torriani on 29 March 1974.

[23] The route did not enter the high mountains until 27 May, which was thought to work against Fuente's chances to win the race and take advantage of Merckx's unknown condition.

[4] The first day of racing was gearing up to finish with a bunch sprint, when neo-professional cyclist Wilfried Reybrouck attacked with 400 meters to go.

[3] Reybrouck managed to hold off the chasing sprinters Roger De Vlaeminck and Basso, among others to win the stage.

[25] Pierino Gavazzi won the first stage of his career upon beating the likes of De Vlaeminck and Franco Bitossi.

[25] The sixth leg had little action until the final twenty kilometers, when the headwinds picked up and splintered the peloton into several groups just hundreds of meters apart.

[26] Giacinto Santambrogio made a move closer to the finish line and rode solo until Bitossi joined him.

[26] Eventually Bitossi dropped Santambrogio and then held off the charging sprinters in order to win the day, which was his 100th career victory.

[27] In particular, Francesco Moser, Merckx, and De Vlaeminck attacked several times and Fuente could not counter, allowing the riders to gain seven seconds on the race lead.

[28] As the main field rode under the kilometer to go banner, they had just caught the leading rider Zilioli who had made a last ditch solo effort to win the stage.