Other possible contenders included Michele Scarponi, Cadel Evans, Robert Gesink and Samuel Sánchez.

There was speculation before the race that some sections of the route may also be relevant for contenders of the world championships in Florence.

[7][8] In a revocation of a rule change in the 2012 race, all mass-start stages again awarded time bonuses to the first three riders, 20, 12, and 8 seconds respectively.

[9] The 2013 Giro d'Italia featured cold and wet weather, leading Bicycling magazine to call it "one of the more grueling Grand Tours in recent memory.

"[12] "Nibali revealed he is a complete rider, handling the stresses and demands of racing both on and off the bike," wrote Hood.

[12] Nibali called winning the Giro "a dream" and said it was unlikely he would compete in the Tour de France.

[13] Others with strong performance in the Giro d'Italia included Carlos Betancur, Mark Cavendish, Cadel Evans, and Rigoberto Urán.

Riding in his first grand-tour event, 23-year-old Betancur finished fifth overall and won the best young rider's jersey.

[12] Evans was written off by many commentators following a poor 2012 season, but bounced back with a third-place finish at the Giro.

His second-place finish came despite his loss of 1:30 on stage seven when he waited for teammate Bradley Wiggins to catch up to him.

Initially, the Cima Coppi was scheduled to be awarded at the top of the Passo dello Stelvio but, after the cancellation of the stage containing the climb, the Cima Coppi for the 2013 Giro d'Italia was the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, at 2,304 metres (7,559 ft).

In a break with the practice of recent years, defending Giro champion Ryder Hesjedal wore the pink jersey during the first stage.

[15] Andriato also won the Premio della Fuga,[15] which rewarded riders who took part in a breakaway at the head of the field.

[14] Other awards included the Combativity classification, which was a compilation of points gained for position on crossing intermediate sprints, mountain passes and stage finishes.

[14] Cannondale were the only team to avoid being penalised altogether over the course of the race, and so won the Fair Play classification.