The Etna is the most included climb in the recent history of the Giro. After 2017, 2018 and 2020 it will be the fourth time that the riders ascend the active stratovolcano. On all occassions it was a breakaway rider who took the spoils, respectively Jan Polanc (2017), Esteban Chaves (2018) and Jonathan Caicedo (2020).
The Etna approach was different in all three instances though, while this year’s Etna stage finishes on the same place as in 2017, Rifugio Sapienza, but after a different climb.
The road has been ascending for tens of kilometres when the gradients kick up after Biancavilla. This is where the actual climb opens on a recently asphalted route. From its start the climb has a stable gradient of approximately 7%, although a stretch at 14% appears halfway up the volcano. The average gradient of the entire 22.8 kilometres ascent sits at 5.9%, while the last kilometre is as good as flat.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 4 Giro.
Another interesting read: results 4th stage 2022 Giro d’Italia.
Giro d’Italia 2022 stage 4: route, profile, more
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