The 1st stage is a hilly race with a punchy finale, while a mountain top finish happens as early as day two. Oropa Sanctuary will be the end station of stage 2. In 2017, Tom Dumoulin took the win on the irregular finish climb of 11.8 kilometres before he sealed the GC win exactly one week later.
Stage 3 looks promising for fast finishers. The route between Novara and Fossano is mostly flat, so fast finishers are expected to shine, although the slightly undulating finale could favour late attackers. Stage 4 travels to Andora on the Riviera of Flowers, which should be another chance for the sprinters, while a third consecutive sprint finish could happen in Lucca at the end of stage 5.
Stage 6 will show the Giro d’Italia’s take on the Strade Bianche, as the last 60 kilometres include a number of sterrati from the the iconic race on dust roads. Stage 7 will be a 40.6 kilometres long ITT with an uphill final, while stage 8 is also another important day on GC with a summit finish in Prati di Tivo. The climb to the line is 14.6 kilometres long and slopes at 7%.
Naples is scheduled to return on the day before the first rest day. It will be the third inclusion in the last three editions. Thomas De Gendt won from the breakaway in 2022, while Mads Pedersen sprinted to victory in 2023. We are likely to see another fast finishers showdown, as stage 9 adds up to 214 kilometres on predominantly flat terrain, although the finale could present some challenges to pure sprinters.
Week 2
Over the second week the Giro will travel back north again via the Adriatic coast, but it starts out with a mountainous test in the interior. Stage 10 travels from Pompeï to the Bocca della Selva, which is a 20.9 kilometres long finishing climb. The riders reach the coast following the hilly first part of stage 11 before the second part – along the Adriatic – is as flat as can be.
Stage 12 is the other way around – the first part is flat and the second part is extremely hilly. Featuring the least elevation gain of the entire Giro, stage 13 is a dream come true for fast finishers.
The 14th stage will be the second ITT – entirely flat this time – before arguably the hardest race in three weeks takes in an elevation gain of 5,400 metres over 222 kilometres. Stage 15 finishes uphill on the Mottolino above Livigno, while the riders are to conquer the Mortirolo and Passo di Foscagno en route.
Week 3
As always, the last week will feature several brutal stages in the high mountains. The riders tackle the iconic Stelvio early in the 16th stage before finishing after more than 200 kilometres in the saddle at the Monte Pana. The 17th stage serves another summit finish – Passo Brocon -, while stage 18 should be for the sprinters.
The Giro then traverses the Dolomites for an uphill finish in Sappada. While wearing pink, Simon Yates took the win there in 2018. Virtually all climbing in stage 19 is saved for the last 70 kilometres.
Monte Grappa was last included in 2014. The ascent made up the lion’s share of an individual time trial, that was won by Nairo Quintana and started in Bassano del Grappa. This time stage 20 will follow that same route in reverse twice. The race includes a double ascent of Monte Grappa before finishing downhill in the valley.
The Giro d’Italia concludes with a flat stage with start and finish in Rome.
Giro d’Italia 2024: routes, profiles, more
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