Giro 2016: Favourites
Edition 99 of the Giro d’Italia was played out May 6 to May 29. Old hands at the game such as Vincenzo Nibali and Alejandro Valverde were facing young guns Ilnur Zakarin, Steven Kruijswijk, Esteban Chaves and Rafal Majka.
Read about the favourites to win the overall. Click links in the table below for the favourites to win individual stages. Obviously, all these articles were written before the start of the race.
Favourites 2016 Giro – per stage:
| Date | Favourites | Length | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fr 6-5 | Home rider Dumoulin vs Cancellara | 9.8 km | ITT |
| 2 | Sa 7-5 | Kittel, Ewan, Greipel, or… | 190.0 km | flat |
| 3 | Su 8-5 | King Kittel again? | 190.0 km | flat |
| Mo 9-5 | rest day / transfer | |||
| 4 | Tu 10-5 | Tough sprinters or late escapees | 200.0 km | hilly |
| 5 | We 11-5 | Wanted: (slightly) uphill powersprinters | 233.0 km | hilly |
| 6 | Tu 12-5 | Escapees or GC-riders in first mountain stage | 157.0 km | mountains |
| 7 | Fr 13-5 | Power to the sprinters | 211.0 km | hilly, flat finale |
| 8 | Sa 14-5 | Quick descenders and punchy climbers | 186.0 km | hilly |
| 9 | Su 15-5 | Dumoulin vs Cancellara vs Kiryienka | 40.5 km | ITT, hilly |
| Mo 16-5 | rest day | |||
| 10 | Tu 17-5 | Mountain party for escapees | 219.0 km | mountains |
| 11 | We 18-5 | Sprint for survivors | 227.0 km | hilly |
| 12 | Th 19-5 | For the sprinters | 182.0 km | flat |
| 13 | Fr 20-5 | Strong climbers, fast descenders, adventurous minds | 170.0 km | mountains |
| 14 | Sa 21-5 | Victory for eternity | 210.0 km | mountains |
| 15 | Su 22-5 | Roglic again? | 10.9 km | ITT, mountains |
| Mo 23-5 | rest day | |||
| 16 | Tu 24-5 | GC attackers on a roll | 132.0 km | hilly |
| 17 | We 25-5 | For fast men (who are still on board) | 196.0 km | flat |
| 18 | Th 26-5 | Bold descenders with puncheurs’ legs | 240.0 km | hilly |
| 19 | Fr 28-5 | Clash between the big names | 162.0 km | mountains |
| 20 | Sa 21-5 | Grande finale for great winner | 134.0 km | mountains |
| 21 | Su 29-5 | Yummy dessert for tough sprinters | 163.0 km | flat |
Giro d'Italia 2016: Height profiles, route maps, and more
Click the images to enlarge
Home rider Dumoulin vs Cancellara
At 9.6 kilometres, stage 1 in the 2016 Giro d'Italia brings an extreme flat ITT. No doubt it will be up to specialists Cancellara, Kiryienka and Tom Dumoulin.Read more »
Kittel, Ewan, Greipel, or...
Stage 2 in the Giro is tailor made for the fast men. The only categorised climb is crested with 35 kilometres left. Besides, at 1 kilometre, it's an extremely short hill.Read more »
King Kittel again?
Stage 3 in the 2016 Giro leads from Nijmegen to Arnhem. The only climb is up the Posbank, with a steepest section at 12%, yet no sprinter will be alarmed as it's 53 kilometres remaining at the top.Read more »
Tough sprinters and late escapees
Short and nasty climbs in quick succession mark the final 20 kilometres of the 4th stage in the 2016 Giro d'Italia. Not all sprinters will be pleased, especially a notorious non-climber like Marcel Kittel won't like it. Who are the biggest contenders to be victorious in stage 4?Read more »
Wanted: (slightly) uphill powersprinters
In the first 190 kilometres of stage 5 the race is on rolling and uphill roads, after which the 40 kilometres are flat to downhill. That's good for the fast men, one might argue. That's right, yet the last kilometre offers a 3.4% gradient.Read more »
More articles
Escapees or GC-riders in first mountain stagePower to the sprinters
Quick descenders and punchy climbers
Dumoulin again, or a Cancellara/Roglic revenge
Mountain opportunity for escapees
Sprint for survivors
For the sprinters
Big stage for big names
Victory for eternity
Roglic again?
GC attackers on a roll
For the fast men (who are still on board)
Bold descenders with puncheurs' legs
Clash between the big names
Grande finale for great winner
Yummy dessert for tough sprinters
Favourites and GC contenders