[1] The race was won by Jai Hindley of Bora–Hansgrohe, taking his first Grand Tour victory and becoming the first Australian to win the Giro.

He performed consistently in the mountains, emerging as one of the strongest climbers in the race to take his first podium result in a Grand Tour since the 2015 Giro.

Other contenders were considered to be Wilco Kelderman (Bora–Hansgrohe), Romain Bardet (Team DSM) and Hugh Carthy (EF Education–EasyPost).

[7] Defending champion Egan Bernal did not participate, as he had not recovered from injuries suffered on a training ride during the offseason.

[8] Riders believed to be the main contenders for victories on the sprint stages were Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin–Fenix), Arnaud Démare (Groupama–FDJ), and Caleb Ewan (Lotto–Soudal).