Giro 2025 Favourites stage 6: Hilly race with flat finale

foto: Cor VosStage 6 is the longest of this year’s Giro, and the route comes in two flavours: punchy early on, then pan-flat for the final 80 kilometres. The key question: will the sprinters' teams fancy their chances enough to chase down the break? (Slideshow route/profile)

There are enough punchy sprinters in Italy to suggest the answer might well be ‘yes’. The likes of Pedersen, Van Aert, Kooij, and Groves all have a shot. The first two are strong climbers, while the latter pair can hang on over the hills – and Kooij is the fastest of the bunch. That could inspire someone like Pedersen to go on the attack, aiming to win from the break. This, in turn, might tempt riders like Van Aert or Pidcock to follow. In that scenario, there’ll be few teams eager to bring the move back.

On the other hand, after three stage wins in five days, Pedersen’s self-confidence is through the roof. He can also wait for a bunch sprint in Naples. Save energy, grab as many points as possible for the maglia ciclamino at the line, and repay his teammates in the coming days.

We’ll see how things unfold, but one thing’s certain: the route includes 2,500 metres of elevation gain – all packed into the opening 144 kilometres.

Kooij won in Naples last year, while Pedersen took the spoils in 2023. Both victories came on different terrain, though the latter was on a route most similar to this one – with 2,800 vertical metres and a flat finale.

Favourites 6th stage 2025 Giro d’Italia

*** Olav Kooij, Mads Pedersen, Kaden Groves
** Wout van Aert, Paul Magnier, Matteo Moschetti, Casper van Uden
* Taco van der Hoorn, Koen Bouwman, Christian Scaroni, Andrea Vendrame

Another interesting read: route 6th stage 2025 Giro.