Giro 2025 Route stage 16: Piazzola sul Brenta

Giro 2025 Route stage 16: Piazzola sul Brenta – Brentonico

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Tuesday, 27 May – Stage 16 of the Giro features nearly 4,900 metres of climbing over a 199-kilometre route. The riders face four climbs along the way tackling the 17.4-kilometre final ascent, which averages 6.4% and includes sections ramping up to 14%.

There’s not much to say about Piazzola sul Brenta. Over a century ago, Guglielmo Segato and Attilio Morbiatto, two former cyclists, were born there, and that’s it in terms o cycling history

The first 63.5 kilometres are virtually flat. Then the road begin to rises towards La Fricca, a 12.9-kilometre climb at 4.6%. From here, the uphill action really kicks off, with the elevation gain coming thick and fast.

Right after the descent, the road climbs for 10.1 kilometres at 7.6% towards Candriai. Following another downhill, there’s a relatively easy section: the ascent to Vigo Cavedine stretches 9.1 kilometres at a mild 2.9% gradient.

Things get a lot more serious with the Santa Barbara climb, a 12.7-kilometre slog with an average gradient of 8.3%. At the summit, there are 34.7 kilometres left to race.

Almost half of that distance is downhill, and then the Grande Finale kicks in. The climb to the line is 17.4 kilometres long and averaging 6.4%.

You’d have to go back 55 years to find the last stage winner in the mountain village of Brentonico. Eddy Merckx took the stage honours as a prelude to his second Giro GC win that year.