Favorites stage 13 Giro d'Italia 2025 | There are reference points, but don’t underestimate how tough this finish really is

Stage 13 of the Giro d’Italia starts in Rovigo, where riders face a flat opening phase. The only notable obstacle early on is the Passo Roverello, a climb of 3.4 kilometers at an average gradient of 6.8 percent. If no break has formed by then, this could be a key moment in shaping the day’s racing.

For the punchier riders, this climb offers a chance to use an early effort to get into the break, though everything will depend on how the peloton behaves. With flat terrain in the early going, teams with stage ambitions later on should be able to keep things under control.

With 60 kilometers to go, the hills around Berci begin to appear. From Pederiva, the peloton gets a first taste of the San Giovanni in Monte climb, five kilometers at 6.6 percent on average. A fast and relatively steep descent follows, taking the riders toward the finish town of Vicenza for the first time.

There, the stage finishes on Monte Berico, a hill that also hosted the start of the 2022 Gravel World Championships, won by Gianni Vermeersch. This climb, just over a kilometer long, averages 7.1 percent and runs alongside the historic sanctuary of Vicenza. After the first passage, the riders take on a 20 kilometer local loop.

In typical Giro fashion, there is still one more obstacle packed in. The Arcugnano climb, 1.8 kilometers at 6.6 percent, features the Red Bull Kilometer where 6, 4, and 2 bonus seconds are up for grabs just 10 kilometers from the finish.

Over the past three years, the Giro del Veneto has also finished on Monte Berico. Matteo Trentin (2022), Dorian Godon (2023), and Corbin Strong (2024) all took victory there, though it is worth noting that in those editions the riders approached the final kilometer at higher speed and finished about 200 meters earlier, before the steepest part of the climb that runs alongside the basilica. Both Godon and Strong are also racing in this year’s Giro.

The Giro d’Italia has finished on Monte Berico once in recent history, and it was at the exact same spot we’ll see again this year. In 2015, Philippe Gilbert won the stage ahead of pink jersey Alberto Contador, Diego Ulissi, Simon Geschke, and Enrico Battaglin. Back then, the riders also entered the final kilometer at speed from Vicenza’s central station, and escapees Franco Pellizotti and Tanel Kangert saw their hopes for a stage win fade in the final moments, as you can see in the video below.

Climbs
31.5 km: Roverello (3.4 km a 6.8%)
135.1 km: San Giovanni in Monte (5.0 km a 6.6%)
159.7 km: Monte Berico (1.0 km a 7.1%)
180.0 km: Monte Berico (1.0 km a 7.1%)

Times
Start: 1:05 p.m. local time (07:05 AM EDT)
Finish: around 5:10 p.m. local time (11:10 AM EDT)

No complaints here. Temperatures around 15 degrees, the sun peeking through now and then, and just a light breeze blowing across northeastern Italy.

Stages like this can go in many directions, and that will be no different on Friday in stage 13 of the Giro d’Italia. Looking at how this Giro has unfolded so far, combined with past editions of the Giro del Veneto and the 2015 Giro finish in Vicenza, we have a solid reference point that leads us to some familiar names.

This is the kind of finish Tom Pidcock would draw up himself. The explosive Brit from Q36.5 is still chasing his first win in this Giro d’Italia, and Vicenza offers a prime opportunity to change that. While he may not have the legs for the high mountains, finishes like this are where he usually shines.

Anyone who has watched pink jersey Isaac Del Toro sprint in this Giro d’Italia will know the Mexican is not far off a stage win. In the mountain stages won by UAE teammate Juan Ayuso and EF Education-EasyPost’s Richard Carapaz, Del Toro was right there, and he also finished second in the gravel stage. Could Vicenza finally be the day he gets that long-awaited victory?

And what about Wout van Aert from Visma | Lease a Bike and Mads Pedersen of Lidl Trek? The fact that the final climb will be tackled at a slower pace is not ideal for these all-round powerhouses. But riders who can podium or top five in a Monument and have already taken stage wins in this Giro should never be counted out.

Pedersen also has explosive climber Giulio Ciccone and well-rounded rider Mathias Vacek by his side. Both could be used as options for a finish like this, meaning Lidl Trek has multiple cards to play and will likely feature in the final when the road kicks up.

If it does turn into a GC battle, expect to see names like Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) and Primoz Roglic (Red Bull BORA hansgrohe) in the mix. But there are also several classic punchers in this Giro who could make an impact on a finish like this. Former Veneto winner Corbin Strong (Israel Premier Tech), Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious), Christian Scaroni, Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana), Stefano Oldani (Cofidis), Filippo Fiorelli (VF Group Bardiani), Andrea Vendrame, Dorian Godon (Decathlon AG2R) and Quentin Pacher (Groupama FDJ) all fit that profile.

If the stage unfolds at a more controlled pace, even riders like Kaden Groves (Alpecin Deceuninck) and Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) could try something. Both have shown promising climbing form in the past, though they have yet to make their mark in this Giro.

Top favorites:Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) and Isaac del Toro (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Outsiders:Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), Giulio Ciccone, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Long shots: Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek), Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers), Juan Ayuso (UAE Emirates-XRG), Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech), Stefano Oldani (Cofidis), Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R), Diego Ulissi (XDS-Astana) and Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ)