The riders clip into their pedals in Manerba del Garda and the route climbs at shallow gradients to Casto, where the first climb kicks in hard with 500 metres at 12%. It levels out to 6% in the subsequent 2.5 kilometres before a false flat and a downhill lead to the base of the Colle San Zeno. Which is a 13.9 kilometres climb at 6.6%.
The route descends to Lago d’Iseo to enter a false flat that goes on for tens of kilometres towards Edolo and the Monno, at the foot of the Mortirolo. This is a 12.6 kilometres test with an average gradient of 7.6%.
The riders descend towards the valley of the Adda and follow the river upstream towards Bormio. Not to enter the Stelvio or Gavia, but to tackle the ascent to Isolaccia, which goes up at moderate gradients, except for the 3 kilometres just before the village, which rises at 7.5%.
The Passo di Foscagno begins right after Isolaccia. It’s a 15 kilometres climb with an average gradient of 6.4%. The summit lies 8.7 kilometres before the finish in Livigno. The first 4 kilometres fly downhill, the rest rises at 7.3% to the line.
Livigno is a perfect spot for high altitude training, so all pro-teams know the area inside out. Oddly, the town in the heart of the Italian Alps is rarely visited by the Giro. In 2005, Ivan Parra climbed to triumph and before that it was Eddy Merckx who took the spoils as far back as 1972.
The second intermediate sprint comes with 3, 2 and 1 seconds, while the first three riders on the line gain 10, 6 and 4 seconds.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX 15th stage 2024 Giro d’Italia.
Stage 15 of the Giro starts at 10:25 and the race is expected to finish around 16:15 – both are local times (CET).
Giro d’Italia 2024 stage 15: routes, profiles, videos
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