Grand Tour check: Preview of the Giro d’Italia 2024 route
The route for the Giro d’Italia, the first Grand Tour of the year 2024, was presented in early October 2023. Spanning 21 stages, the tour runs from May 4th to 26th, 2024, starting in Venaria Reale in Piedmont and finishing in Rome.
In raw numbers, the 107th Giro d’Italia offers the following: six flat stages, two time trials covering a total of 68.2 kilometers, six mountain stages, including four summit finishes, and seven hilly stages. This sums up to a current total of 3,321.2 kilometers, with riders needing to overcome 42,900 meters of elevation gain, which is less than in 2023.
The highlights of the Corsa Rosa, naturally, include the mountain stages. The first mountain finish arrives as early as day two in Piedmont. The stages in the final week, featuring the Cima Coppi at the Stelvio Pass at 2,758 meters and the “double” Monte Grappa, make the Giro extremely tough towards the end.
The course also pays tribute once again to the Strade Bianche. Stage six incorporates gravel sections of the white roads of Tuscany.
The course is generally balanced. The only thing missing in the routing is several classic stages with rolling terrain, which climbers typically favor. Here, only stage 12 from Martinsicuro to Fano stands out, which is very rolling in the second half, but not necessarily a barrier for sprinters with good legs.
The number of hilly stages can be misleading regarding the difficulty of the stage. On days 4, 5, and 11, for example, the most challenging sections are far from the finish, which favors sprinters and their teams.
The First Week
In 2024, no sprinter will don the pink jersey at the start, as the first stage is far too challenging for fast and explosive riders. Even climbers might fall behind if the GC contenders and their teams push hard. As an appetizer, the course reaches the Superga at race kilometer 80, before a category 2 climb, Colle della Madonna, looms just 20 kilometers before the finish in Turin.
On day two in Piedmont, as described, it goes up to the first mountain finish. The final 12 kilometers climb to the Santuario di Oropa. Stages three and four then see the sprinters take their turn. On day five, the intensity of the last climb of the day (category 4), 19 kilometers from the finish, will decide if it also ends in a mass sprint.
Stage six is eagerly anticipated or feared by the riders. Some of the classic specialists will mark this day in red in their calendars to chase the stage win. It involves the “Strade Bianche” – the white roads of Tuscany. 11.6 kilometers of gravel – spread over three sectors – between Viareggio and Rapolano Terme can also thwart overall ambitions due to a mechanical or a crash.
The profile of the 6th stage of the Giro d’Italia 2024 This is followed by a long time trial of 37.2 kilometers from Foligno to Perugia, including a category-4 climb to the finish. GC contenders, however, should not exert themselves too much, as the next day brings the second mountain finish of this Italian tour.
Stage eight ends after 153 kilometers at Prati di Tivo. The final climb, 14.6 kilometers long and with an average gradient of 7%, has often been a key part of the Tirreno-Adriatico. The organizer RCS gives this stage the highest difficulty rating of five stars.
Prati di Tivo: the final climb of stage 8 of the Giro d’Italia 2024 To finish the first week, the riders still need to “go the distance.” The second longest stage of this Giro, stretching 206 kilometers from Avezzano to Naples, is likely a sprinters’ affair.
The Second Week
After the rest day, it’s the climbers’ turn: from historic Pompeii, stage 9 goes over Camposauro (category 2), before the final climb of 17.9 kilometers with ramps of over ten percent leads up to Bocca della Selva.
The following day, the sprinters will have their chances on the 203-kilometer stretch from Foiano di val Fortore to Francavilla al Mare. The rolling terrain of the Marche in the last two-thirds of stage 12 might spoil the sprinters’ chances of a mass arrival. However, a flat section from Riccione to Cento the next day is very likely to end in a mass sprint.
The weekend will again present challenges. Firstly, on Saturday with the second time trial of this Italian tour. Spanning 31 kilometers, the individual time trial runs from Castiglione delle Stiviere to Desenzano del Garda.
On Sunday follows the longest stage of the Giro – at 220 kilometers. However, the length isn’t the only challenge. The route from Lake Garda to the Alps is demanding. A total of 5,200 meters of elevation must be conquered between Manerba del Garda and Livigno (Mottolino), with particular highlights being the Mortirolo followed by the climb to Mottolino. This latter section runs along a ski slope with gradients of up to 18 percent.
The Third Week
After the rest day in Livigno, stage 16 traverses the highest point of the 2024 Italy tour. The Cima Coppi is the Stelvio Pass at 2,758 meters. However, the Stelvio is reached early in the stage at race kilometer 53.4. Afterward, there’s time to recover before heading into the split final climb to Santa Cristina.
First is the 23.4-kilometer ascent to the Panider Sattel, followed by a short descent before the finale at Monte Pana begins. The last two kilometers here have a gradient of over ten percent. At the end of this day, the riders will have climbed 4,400 meters of elevation and covered 202 kilometers.
Stelvio Pass: Cima Coppi of the Giro d’Italia 2024 The Dolomites also set the scene for the following stage. Day 17 is a short but tough mountain stage between Selva di Val Gardena and Passo Brocon. Over 159 kilometers, the route is almost exclusively uphill and downhill. Passo Sella, Passo Rolle, and twice the Passo Brocon are on the day’s menu, potentially decisive for the Giro’s overall victory.
The next day, the sprinters are likely back in action – after 166 kilometers in Padua. Stage 19 from Mortegliano to Sappada is not marked by the organizer RCS as a mountain stage. However, it could still provide surprises as the last 50 kilometers are quite challenging with Passo Duron and Cima Sappada, and the riders will be tired at the end of the third week.
Against this fatigue, they will have to fight hard for the last time on stage 20. On the segment between Alpago and Bassano del Grappa, the pros must tackle Monte Grappa from Semonzo twice – 18.1 kilometers long and an average of 8.1 percent steep, a category-1 climb. From the second pass, it’s then just over 30 kilometers downhill to the finish. At the end of this stage, the 2024 Giro d’Italia winner will likely be determined.
The profile of stage 20 of the Giro d’Italia 2024 As in 2023, a sprint stage through Rome concludes the 107th Giro d’Italia on the last Sunday in May.
Outlook for the Giro d’Italia 2024
Considering the challenges of this Giro, a strong time trialist who is also good at climbing would be advantageous. A rider type like the Dutchman Tom Dumoulin, the Giro winner of 2017, could distance the climbing-strong GC contenders in the two individual time trials and then try to control them on the climbs with a strong team, or at least not lose too much time.
Because the final climbs of this Giro are not so extreme. The longest is up to Bocca della Selva at 17.9 kilometers but only has an average gradient of 5.6 percent. Additionally, there is only one Hors Category climb – the Stelvio, which lies far before the finish. And the 20th stage does not end at the top of Monte Grappa, but there is a more than 30-kilometer-long descent to the finish in Bassano della Grappa after the second “pass check.”
Even if the following statement is more wishful thinking: Wout van Aert, in the Tour form of 2022 with a training program adjusted for the general classification, could at least make a significant impression towards the pink jersey.