LIVE stage 17 Giro d'Italia 2025 | Everyone has their own priorities, and that makes this stage so challenging

The men will start in San Michele all'Adige at an altitude of 213 meters. From the start, the road is flat for a little while, but soon it starts to climb steeply in Italy. After ten kilometers, the road climbs 5.1 percent for three kilometers, where the better climbers who want to break away will see their chance.

Not that it flattens out after that, far from it. By the intermediate sprint in Cles, after 23.5 kilometers, the riders will have already conquered more than 400 meters of elevation. That number will steadily increase until the foot of the first categorized mountain. The Passo Tonale begins after 58.8 kilometers, but we will already be almost 1,000 meters above sea level by then.

Before seeing the top of the Tonale, we must cycle 15.2 kilometers at an average gradient of 6.0 percent. The first two kilometers are between five and six percent, and the gradient rises to around 9.0 percent. The last three kilometers of the Tonale are only between three and four percent, so the difference has to be made before that.

After the Tonale, there is a 25-kilometer descent, after which the Mortirolo immediately looms up. The Mortirolo is a name that rings a bell, although we should note that we are not climbing it from the most brutal side. However, that is only relative: 12.6 kilometers of climbing at 7.6 percent is no walk in the park. The last three kilometers are in double digits.

At the top of the Mortirolo, there are still 48 kilometers to go, the first part of which is downhill. In Vermugo, the road starts to climb again, including the Red Bull kilometer at the foot of a 1.9-kilometer hill with a 7.5 percent gradient. After this obstacle, the route continues on mostly flat roads to the foot of the last obstacle of the ride.

Le Motte is a hill that is nothing compared to a Tonale or Mortirolo, but with its 3.1 kilometers at 8.1 percent, it is still seriously difficult at the end of such a ride. At the top, there are still nine kilometers to cycle, mainly downhill. There is another sharp corner 100 meters from the finish, so if there is a group, it is crucial to be at the front.

Climbs
69.6 km: Passo Tonale (15.2 km a 6.0%)
107.2 km: Passo Mortirolo (12.6 km a 7.^%)
146.1 km: Le Motte (3.1 km a 8.1%)

Times
Start: 12:50 PM local time (06:50 AM EDT)
Finish: around 5:30 PM local time (11:30 AM EDT)

It will not be cold in Bormio on Wednesday, but with a temperature of 18 degrees Celsius, there is a chance of rain and thunderstorms in the mountains. The wind will be slightly unfavorable after the Mortirolo.

After Tuesday's stage, the balance of power in this Giro d'Italia is pretty clear. In the stage to San Valentino, we saw two climbers who really stood out: Richard Carapaz from EF Education-EasyPost and the surprisingly strong Giulio Pellizzari from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. And they could well be each other's allies on Wednesday, especially if the latter's team has something to prove.

UAE Emirates-XRG certainly did not have a good day on Tuesday, so it is realistic to think that other riders and teams will smell blood. Normally, this Wednesday stage could be an opportunity for the breakaway riders, but we now expect Isaac del Toro's pink jersey to come under intense pressure on Wednesday. With a transition stage on Thursday, strong riders will have plenty of opportunities in the third week.

We are certainly not just talking about Carapaz but also about the riders who are higher up in the standings. Simon Yates is still ahead of Carapaz on behalf of Visma | Lease a Bike, while Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) will suddenly feel that he can make it to the podium of a Grand Tour. Michael Storer (Tudor) is suddenly running for a place in the top five as a pure climber, so everyone has their own priorities.

In addition to UAE Emirates-XRG, Bahrain Victorious also lost some time with Antonio Tiberi and Damiano Caruso on the way to San Valentino. However, they are still in a relatively good position. That is not the case for Ayuso and Thymen Arensman, for example, although the latter at INEOS Grenadiers still has Egan Bernal, who managed to finish well in the end.

But there are more names we should mention; it could well be that riders from outside the top ten will make an attempt. Max Poole (Picnic PostNL), Einar Rubio (Movistar), and Davide Piganzoli (Polti VisitMalta) are among the riders who don't have much to lose, but will they get the space they need via an early breakaway? We don't expect that to happen right away. In that scenario, you end up back with XDS-Astana boys like Lorenzo Fortunato, Christian Scaroni, and Diego Ulissi or experienced contenders of the caliber of Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek) and Picnic PostNL veteran Romain Bardet.

Top favorites: Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)
Outsiders: Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech), Isaac del Toro (UAE Emirates-XRG), Michael Storer (Tudor) and Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS-Astana)
Long shots: Simon Yates (Visma | Lease a Bike), Romain Bardet, Max Poole (Picnic PostNL), Christian Scaroni (XDS-Astana), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Tom Pidcock (Q36.5), Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers), Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek) and Einer Rubio (Movistar)