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. (Slideshow route/profile)
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 on the images to zoom
