The best thing about those races that don’t feature big superstars is that there’s more room for everyone, and each rider can dare to dream of something great. Il Giro d’Abruzzo 2025 is one of those races, as the lack of a clear favourite means every stage brings with it pleasant surprises.
The Queen Stage gave us the climb to Roccaraso, more precisely to the Piano d’Aremogna. A climb long enough to require careful pacing, precise timing, and the strength to hold on all the way to the summit at 1,590 metres. Add to that cold rain, 5°C temperatures (feeling like zero), and the result was a stage ripe for upsets. It wasn’t out of the question that we might see a new name emerge, but what we got was a complete unknown to the wider public, a rider who had never recorded a UCI victory, not even at youth level. That athlete is Edison Callejas, a 24-year-old Colombian still waiting to be discovered, born at 2,640 metres above sea level in Bogotá.
The Petrolike rider delivered his team the most prestigious win in its history, attacking 11 km from the top and quickly opening up a gap of over 40 seconds on his rivals. And make no mistake! He wasn’t up against second-tier competition. Chasing behind were two experienced pros such as David De La Cruz (Q36.5) and Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché–Wanty) – who secured the BiancoVerdeBlu leader’s jersey with his second-place finish – plus two raw, talented climbers like Pablo Torres (UAE Team Emirates–XRG), runner-up at both last year’s Tour de l’Avenir and Giro Next Gen, and Mathys Rondel (Tudor), fourth at the latter. Even giving it their all, these riders couldn’t get close to the surprising Callejas, who, we can safely say, will have many admirers watching him closely from now on.
Tomorrow brings what’s likely the easiest stage of Il Giro d’Abruzzo 2025. The new leader, Zimmermann, can focus on defending his position, keeping a close eye on time bonuses, while everyone else will be aiming to move up in the GC or go all-in to win the final showdown in front of the Sanctuary of San Gabriele in Isola del Gran Sasso.
