Obviously, GC riders could give it a dig, but we’re opting for a successful breakaway. The attackers are expected to go clear on the Umbrail Pass – which is this year’s Cima Coppi -, so there will be strong climbers on board. Which is a necessity, given the characteristics of the remainder of the race.
The route climbs from the start. First, the Passo di Eira and then the Passo di Foscagno. Since the race starts at altitude in Livigno, the ascents are relatively short – both approximately 4 kilometres at a little over 6%. The riders then descend towards Bormio and take a sharp left-hander to enter one of the most iconic climbs in the history of the Giro. The Umbrail Pass is basically the Stelvio Pass, except for the last few kilometres. The ascent is 16.7 kilometres long and averages 7.1%.
Following the descent from the Umbrial Pass the race enters sprinter’s territory for tens of kilometres. In fact, the flat section is 90 kilometres long. A statistic which makes the elevaton gain of 4,350 metres all the more impressive, since all this climbing is crammed inside 110 kilometres.
Shortly after Bolzano, the riders enter the Passo Pinei – 23.3 kilometres long and averaging 4.7%, but it really comes down to the first part and the end. The first 7 kilometres go up at 7.3% and the last 5.3 kilometres at 7%. The section in between is nothing special.
There are 12 kilometres remaining at the summit of the Pinei. The first part is a descent before the last 6.5 kilometres rise at 6.1%. Again, that’s a biased statistic, as the Monte Pana is all about the final 2 kilometres. That section slopes at an unforgiving – average ! – gradient of 11.8%.
Favourites 16th stage 2024 Giro d’Italia
*** Domenico Pozzovivo, Valentin-Paret Peintre, Michael Storer
** Tadej Pogacar, Damiano Caruso, Nairo Quintana, Giulio Pellizzari
* Esteban Chaves, Rafal Majka, Attila Valter, Georg Steinhauser, Nicola Conci
Another interesting read: route 16th stage 2024 Giro.
Giro d’Italia 2024 stage 16: profiles
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