Giro 2020 Route stage 20: Alba – Sestriere

Saturday 24 October - The penultimate stage of the Giro is the last uphill test. The route adds up to 190 kilometres and the riders crest the climb to Sestriere three times in the last 50 kilometres.

The route has been revised. Originally, the 20th stage would have scaled the Colle dell’Agnello (21 kilometres climb at 6.9%), Col d’Izoard (13.9 kilometres at 7.1%) and Colle del Monginevro (6.4 kilometres at 6.7%) ahead of an uphill finish in Sestriere. But COVID-19 restrictions in France decided differently. Instead, the riders climb three times to Sestriere on easier roads.

The first 110 kilometres of the route are virtually flat before the route starts to climb at very shallow gradients for tens of kilometres. A false flat that changes gradually into an ascent of 9.2 kilometres at 5.4% before the riders move through Sestriere for the first time.

The race continues with two identical laps on a circuit around the ski resort. Firstly, the route descends into Cesana Torinese before returning to Sestriere on different roads. The first part is a false flat and shortly after Rollieres the gradients increase. But in comparison to the original 20th stage it is really nothing. The second (and third) climb to Sestriere is 8 kilometres long and the gradients hover between 7 and 8%.

Another interesting read: results 20th stage Giro d'Italia.