The 1st stage is a hilly race around Turin, while a mountain top finish happens as early as day two. Oropa Sanctuary will be the end station of stage 2. In 2017, Tom Dumoulin took the win on the irregular finish climb of 11.8 kilometres before he sealed the GC win exactly one week later.
Stage 3 looks promising for fast finishers. The route between Novara and Fossano is mostly flat, but the slighly undulating finale could favour late attackers or power sprinters. The pink caravan sets off from Acqui Terme on the fourth day to Andora on the Riviera of Flowers.
The opening week will see the riders travel all the way to Naples. The second weekend opens with a 37.2 kilometres long ITT from Foligno to Perugia, while stage 8 will be another important day on GC with a summit finish in Prati di Tivo. The climb to the line is 14.6 kilometres long and slopes at 7%. The mountain is familiar from the Tirreno-Adriatico. The race took in Prati di Tivo twice in the last decade, which resulted in solo wins for Chris Froome (2013) and Tadej Pogacar (2021).
Naples is scheduled to return on the day before the first rest day. It will be the third inclusion in the last three editions. Thomas De Gendt won from the breakaway in 2022, while Mads Pedersen sprinted to victory in 2023. We are likely to see another fast finishers showdown, as stage 9 adds up to more than 200 kilometres on predominantly flat terrain.
Over the second week the Giro will travel back north again via the Adriatic coast and then inland through Reggio Emilia before the second ITT is said to happen south of Lake Garda, with a finish in Sonny Colbrelli’s domicile Desenzano del Garda. The Alps are entered the next day – stage 15 – with a race to a summit finish at the Mottolino in the mountains above Livigno.
As always, the last week will feature several brutal stages in the high mountains. The riders tackle the iconic Stelvio early in the 16th stage before finishing after more than 200 kilometres in the saddle at the Monte Pana. The 17th stage serves another summit finish – Passo dei Brocon -, while stage 18 should be for the sprinters. The Giro then traverses the Dolomites for an uphill finish in Sappada. While wearing pink, Simon Yates took the win there in 2018.
Monte Grappa was last included in 2014. The ascent made up the lion’s share of an individual time trial, that was won by Nairo Quintana and started in Bassano del Grappa. This time the route will follow that same route in reverse twice. The 20th stage of the Giro includes a double ascent of Monte Grappa before finishing downhill in the valley.
The 2024 Giro d’Italia concludes with a flat stage with start and finish in Rome.
Giro d’Italia 2024: route, profiles, videos
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