On Friday, October 13, at the Teatro Sociale in Trento, as part of Il Festival dello Sport di Trento, the Giro d'Italia route for 2024 will be unveiled. We already know that the 107th edition of the Tour of Italy will commence in Turin. But what else can we anticipate from La Corsa Rosa? IDLProCycling.com provides the details!
Let's begin at the start, which is in Turin. The capital of the Piedmont region will host the Grande Partenza for the second time in four years. In 2021, Piedmont-born Filippo Ganna claimed victory in the 8.6-kilometer opening time trial there. Turin's selection as the starting city for May 4, 2024, is partly linked to a tragic event that occurred in the city exactly 75 years ago. On May 4, 1949, a plane carrying nearly the entire Torino soccer club crashed into the basilica on the Superga hill, which is also known from the Milan-Turin race.
Giro d'Italia seeks strikingly early altimeters
In 2024, we will commence our journey near the splendid Venaria Reale palace, situated roughly ten kilometers outside of Turin. During this relatively short 136-kilometer stage, we will also make our way past the iconic Superga, and the challenging climb of Colle Maddalena could very well serve as the stage's decisive conclusion. The summit of this ascent, which spans 6.1 kilometers with an average gradient of 7.4 percent, lies approximately twenty kilometers from the finish in Turin.
On the second day, RCS has chosen to present a genuine mountain stage. Starting in San Fransesco del Campo, the peloton embarks on a 150-kilometer journey towards the revered sanctuary of Oropa, a location last visited in 2017. It was there that Tom Dumoulin triumphed in remarkable fashion, a climb etched in our memory from Marco Pantani's sensational ride in 1999.
The route for the third stage is also already confirmed, spanning from Novara to Fossano, where an exciting finale has been arranged. The Giro organization has revealed that the fourth stage will commence in Acqui Terme, but beyond this information, official details remain pending. However, the dependable source Cicloweb has managed to piece together most of the puzzle, unveiling two time trials and the obligatory elevation gains dispersed across the three-week event.
For stage four, they are contemplating a potential breakaway stage that will conclude in Andora, along the stunning Ligurian coast. This is also where the fifth stage is anticipated to kick off, starting in Genoa. From there, the peloton will likely head south, leading to another sprinter's finish in Lucca, situated in Tuscany. The second part of the Tuscan stages is expected to include a demanding day on which riders may wish for a day off, as it's probable that the peloton will traverse some of the iconic white gravel roads we associate with Strade Bianche.
On the seventh day, it appears the riders will prepare for the first substantial time trial of the 2024 Giro. According to Cicloweb, this time trial will take place from Foligno to the Umbrian capital, Perugia. The eighth stage will once again feature thrilling uphill finishes, this time at Prato di Tivo. Prato di Tivo has previously been a stage finish in Tirreno-Adriatico, with Vincenzo Nibali (2012), Chris Froome (2013), and Tadej Pogacar (2021, with Wout van Aert finishing ninth) emerging as winners. Days leading up to the rest day, Cicloweb hints at a stage taking the riders towards the Vesuvius/Pompeii region.
Following the first rest day, it is believed that Italy will opt for a short but intense hill stage. The subsequent eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth stages are expected to provide another opportunity for escapees and sprinters. On the fourteenth day, the second individual time trial is set to take place, with a time trial of over thirty kilometers expected near Lake Garda.
Livigno, Stelvio and Monte Grappe: the three Heavy Mountains?
The fifteenth stage could potentially be the decisive day of the Tour of Italy, and it seems almost certain that Livigno will be the destination. Livigno is a well-known hub for cyclists for altitude training throughout the year, surrounded by challenging mountains, the exact impact of which remains uncertain. However, it is strongly believed that the stage will include the Forcola di Livigno, a climb of over 33 kilometers with gradients exceeding 5 percent, towards the end.
After a well-deserved second rest day, the final week kicks off with another potentially grueling mountain stage. It's nearly confirmed that the renowned Stelvio Pass will be the Cima Coppi of this Giro d'Italia. The downside is that there's a good chance the more than 2,750-meter-high climb will be tackled in the first part of the stage, while the second half remains largely unknown. This holds true for much of the seventeenth stage as well, although it's also anticipated to be a challenging mountain route.
Stage 18 will offer the sprinters another opportunity in Padua, followed by two more days of climbing before reaching Rome. The route for Friday's final stage has yet to be disclosed, but it appears likely that a double ascent of the incredibly challenging Monte Grappa awaits the peloton on Saturday. This eighteen-kilometer climb boasts an average gradient of 8.1 percent, making it a formidable challenge. As in previous years, the final stage will take place in the capital, Rome, where the sprinters will have another chance to shine.
In recent years, the Giro has successfully attracted some of the world's top riders, including Chris Froome, Tom Dumoulin, Primoz Roglic, Mathieu van der Poel, Mark Cavendish, Peter Sagan, and Remco Evenepoel. However, race director Mauro Vegni and his team are aiming for even more high-profile participants. They've openly proposed to Tadej Pogacar, while Jumbo-Visma and Wout van Aert have also already spoken aloud several times about a possible Giro participation. Is the 2024 edition the right time for these aspirations to come to fruition? We'll have more information this Friday, at 6 p.m., at least in terms of the route details.
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