We’re into the second week of the Giro d’Italia, with the first big mountain tests and the race’s only time-trial now in the rearview mirror. The general classification is starting to take shape, with just four big days of climbing left in the race.
With the GC pretty much all to play for, here are the must-watch stages that you need to set your alarms for.
Stage 14: Saturday 23rd May, Aosta – Pila, 133km
A stage bookended by big climbs
The next big GC test comes on Saturday and sees climbing from the off, with the 15.8km, 6.5% Saint-Barthélémy ascent inevitably leading to a breakaway of proper climbers while softening the legs of the contenders. If anyone is having a bad day, things could get messy very quickly with over 4,000m of elevation to deal with.
The third category Doues climb shouldn’t see any big action, but it will add to the building fatigue. The following pair of climbs is essentially one big climb with a descent in the middle, with the Category 1 Lin Noir (7.4km, 7.9%) leading to the Category 2 Verrogne (5.9km, 6.9%) for a total of 13.3km of ascent with a few kilometres of rest in the middle.
After that it’s a lengthy downhill to the Red Bull KM point at the base of the final climb to Pila (16.5km, 7.1%), which was last used in the 1992 edition and will likely be won by a GC contender (ie Jonas Vingegaard).
- Giro d’Italia star rating: 5/5
Stage 16: Tuesday 26th May, Bellinzona – Carì, 113km
A lumpy unipuerto stage
In the middle of the peloton’s journey in Switzerland from Bellinzona to Carì is a 33.3km stretch that consists of two laps of a loop with a pair of short climbs to help get the blood pumping and dish out some KOM points to someone not named Jonas.
There’s around 40km of subsequent relative calm before the day’s big summit finish of Carì (11.7km, 7.9%) arrives. It’s a continuous grind of around 8% only broken up by a slight dip to a generous 2% after 8km, but from there, the max 13% gradient hits in the final kilometre, which should cause some decent time gaps on the line. Coming just after the final rest day, this should set the race up for a big final week.
- Giro d’Italia star rating: 4/5
Stage 19: Friday 29th May, Feltre – Piani di Pezzè, 151km
The queen stage
While there could be some gaps created in Stage 17’s uphill finale, that’s nothing compared to this beast. Stage 19 is this edition’s queen stage in the Dolomites, which will see riders take on six monster climbs, all of which are Category 2 and above.
After just under 50km of relative flat to probably decide the breakaway, the struggle begins on the 12.1km Passo Duran, which has an 8.2% average gradient and tops out at 14%. We’re just getting started but there’s a good chance some riders will getting found out already.
Next comes the most savage test of the day, with the ascent to Coi just 5.8km but with gradients up to a gruesome 19%, which takes the average to just under 10%. There isn’t much time to recover once that’s ticked off, with the next climb a 6.3km, 6.7% average test to Forcella Staulanza that also includes an intermediate sprint for some reason.
The jewel in the crown comes next with the legendary Passo Giau (9.9km, 9.3%), which is this year’s Cima Coppi for being the highest point of the race at 2,236m above sea level. It most recently featured in 2023 when Santiago Buitrago won the stage ahead of Derek Gee-West.
Once we’ve said ciao to Giau, the riders will descend right to the base of the next climb, the Passo Falzarego, which sneaks in the Red Bull KM halfway up its 10km, 5.6% slope.
If all that wasn’t hard enough, the total climbing is pushed even closer to 5,000m with one final climb up to Piani di Pezzè, which includes gradients of up to 15%. If any rider is feeling slightly off it, he will suffer on this stage.
- Giro d’Italia star rating: 5/5
Stage 20: Saturday 30th May, Gemona del Friuli – Piancavallo, 199km
The finishing blow with a double helping of Piancavallo
The penultimate day of the Giro is the final day in the mountains and as a result the last opportunity to make or break GC dreams. And those dreams will all come down to the climb up Piancavallo (14.5km, 7.8%), which the peloton will take on twice, including as a summit finish.
It last featured at the 2020 Giro when Tao Geoghegan Hart claimed victory, so Jai Hindley might start having flashbacks. This year’s race might not be as dramatic a conclusion at that edition, but never say never.
- Giro d’Italia star rating: 4/5
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