Here’s the Giro d’Italia guide. There’s all the stage profiles on one page, with a preview of their routes well as explainers on the rules for the mountains and points competitions; TV guide, time-cuts and more.
A separate look at the contenders and pretenders for the overall win will be along soon.
As loyal readers will know, a reminder you can read this post here but if you need the reference material anytime in the coming weeks there’s a permanent page with all the same info at inrng.com/giro, which you can reach via the menu at the top of the screen for desktop browsers / dropdown menu on a mobile device.
Route summary
Last year’s route had just 26km of time trials, the least since 1962… when the route didn’t have a TT stage. This time there are three time trial stages totalling over 70km, although the third has a tough climb, it’s much more but within the norms of the past 20 years. As ever there’s a mix of mountains that get harder and more intense for the third week in the Alps including some high altitude, weather permitting.
Stage 1 – Saturday 6 May
A time trial to start the race and for Filippo Ganna to get a home win and the maglia rosa. It’s held mostly on a coastal cycle path, although wide enough to permit a following car.
Stage 2 – Sunday 7 May
A stage for the sprinters but it’ll suit those who can manage the sharp climbs, this borrows some of the spiky hilltop ramps from typical Tirreno-Adriatico stages. The climb mid-stage to Chieti isn’t even rated but it’s hard. There’s 70km from the last climb to the finish, plenty of time to regroup.
Stage 3 – Monday 8 May
An intriguing stage. The action should be on the flanks of Monte Vulture, an extinct volcano. But who will control the stage? The sprinters’ teams cannot and the GC teams won’t rush either.
Stage 4 – Tuesday 9 May
A mid-mountain stage on some familiar roads, the Molella-Laceno finish has been used a couple of times in recent years. As a finish it’s where Domenico Pozzovivo got his stage win in 2012 and the Colle Molella is a selective four kilometres at 10%, albeit on a big fast road. Plenty will get ejected but the group of GC contenders should be sizeable.
Stage 5 – Wednesday 10 May
A good day for a breakaway with the opening half ideal for a move to get away and build up a lead. Given the few chances for the sprinters this year and the flat finish that follows, several teams can try to set up their sprinter for the win.
Stage 6 – Thursday 11 May
After a start and finish in Naples last year, another napolitano day. This time there are no laps, instead the route is like a tourist day-trip the Amalfi coast via Vesuvius and then back. The Capo di Mondo climb out of Positano is 10km but most of it no more than 4-5%.
Stage 7 – Friday 12 May
Very similar to the 2018 stage won by Simon Yates. There’s the climb of Roccaraso which has featured regularly in recent years and then the big summit finish of the Gran Sasso d’Italia, literally “The Big Stone of Italy”. The were only seconds between the big names in 2018 but the order that day proved instructive.
Stage 8 – Saturday 13 May
An intriguing stage. It’s 140km to the scenic gorge of the Gola del Furlo and after this, the scenery will give way to sport with the climbs around Fossombrone. The climb of I Cappucini is an awkward backroad that’s steep, then another hard climb and then it’s Cappucini again. This stage doesn’t look tough as the y-axis of vertical gain doesn’t look fierce but it’s harder than it seems.
Stage 9 – Sunday 14 May
A TT where the hardest part could be a bridge over the autostrada. The opener and this course are flat and with few corners, there aren’t too many places to brake and accelerate, it’s more about reaching a top cruising speed and holding it.
Stage 10 – Tuesday 16 May
The race crosses the Apennine mountains to ride into Tuscany. The Passo delle Radici isn’t steep but it’s up and up for a long way and a chance for some sprinters’ teams to eject heavyset riders.
Stage 11 – Wednesday 17 May
The longest stage. After the coast it’s inland and via a series of steady climbs to Tortona passing the Gavi vineyards.
Stage 12 – Thursday 18 May
The first Alpine stage but first the Alba vineyards and most of the route is on the flat Po plains. The Colle Braida doesn’t look like much on the profile but it’s a proper incursion into the Alps. It’s over 10km at 6.8% and that includes a descent along the way, the top part is hard and selective as it passes the hilltop abbey of the Sacra di San Michele before a fast descent to Rivoli, a town on the edge of Turin. It’s reminiscent of 2019’s Stage 12 via the Montoso climb to Pinerolo.
Stage 13 – Friday 19 May
A big day in the mountains to Switzerland via the giant Col du Grand Saint-Bernard. Tackling a 2,469 metre pass in May is ambitious – the pass usually opens on the last day of May, it’s never been opened before 23 May but if the weather helps and workers are deployed, well fingers crossed. If not there’s a tunnel that allows the race to stay below 2,000m as a potential back-up plan. Once in Switzerland riders will feel the difference thanks to the tarmac although the first thing they’ll feel is the chill via the long descent. The Croix de Coeur is the hairpins of the road up to the swank ski resort of Verbier with a “new” road on top, followed by a perilous descent to the Rhone valley and then the Crans Montana ski station summit finish.
Stage 14 – Saturday 20 May
Back to Italy via the Simplon Pass, a big transport artery used by trucks and so it’s accessible to sprinters, and like the previous stage, if it’s snowing there’s a tunnel underneath too. Once clear of the pass there’s a long ride down the valley via some of Filippo Ganna’s training roads.
Stage 15 – Sunday 21 May
A mini Tour of Lombardy with the Valcava and Selvino climbs before the finish in Bergamo.
Stage 16 – Tuesday 23 May
The lack of altitude shouldn’t mask this stage’s big attitude, there’s over 5,000 metres of vertical gain. This is a decisive stage with successive climbs offering little rest in between. This time Monte Bondone is tackled on the eastern side from Aldeno and it’s a gradual ascent at first before the final 10km offer plenty of 8-10%.
Stage 17 – Wednesday 24 May
It looks like a course you could almost freewheel down but there’s 192km to pedal out of the mountains down to the coast. Today’s stage serves two purposes, first a day for the sprinters so they stay in the race and second an active recovery ride for the GC contenders allowing them to start the next day relatively fresh.
Stage 18 – Thursday 25 May
A big day in the Dolomites including the climb to Coi, never used in the Giro before with 4km at over 10%. On paper it doesn’t look as hard but all we know is on paper as the Giro’s not used this finish before, at some point maps will have be swapped for a visit.
Stage 19 – Friday 26 May
Crans Montana and Monte Bondone can both make a good case they’re hosting the biggest stage of the Giro because they’re longer and have more climbing. But there’s plenty about this stage that makes it more compelling. The saw blade profile at first glance, the regular incursions beyond 2,000m, and then the names, an aristocracy of Dolomite ascents with the Valparolo, Giau and the Tre Croci approach to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, a famous place in the Giro but used sparingly, the last time was 2013 when Vincenzo Nibali won the stage wearing the maglia rosa on his way to the win.
Stage 20 – Saturday 27 May
A mountain time trial, back in the Giro for the first time since 2016 when cosmonaut Alexander Foliforov won the day. Monte Lussari is a new climb, little more than a mule path round the back of a mountain but it’s been paved in time for the race. There’s a flat section which will have managers exploring bike change options before the steep climb which is also worthy of a specialist bike… a motorbike as team cars are banned and so assistance can only come from team staff riding pillion on the back of motorbikes supplied by the organisers. If the sun’s shining it’ll be scenic, all forest and a hilltop village… for views but agony for riders with sustained sections between 15-20%, and via hairpins.
Stage 21 – Sunday 28 May
They say all roads lead to Rome, so here’s 700km transfer for the final stage. It’s perhaps less a test for riders and more for the city of Rome, the last visit saw the final stage altered and partially neutralised after the roads were in such a poor state.
The Jerseys
There are four jerseys in the race: pink, cyclamen, blue and white.
Pink: the most famous one, the maglia rosa, it is awarded to the rider with the shortest overall time for all the stages added together. As such, they have covered the course faster than anyone else. It is pink because the race has been organised by La Gazzetta Dello Sport, a newspaper printed on bright pink paper. It is sponsored by Enel, an energy company.
There are time bonuses available on all the stages except the time trials:
- 10-6-4 seconds for the first three riders respectively on each stage
- 3-2-1 seconds are available for the first three riders at the second of the daily intermediate sprints
Cyclamen: the points competition. Riders score points at both of the intermediate sprints per day and at the finish line. The allocation of points depends on the stage in question, they are categorised with the typical sprint stages offering more points in a bid to place the purple-toned jersey on the shoulders of a sprinter who can handle arithmetic. The maglia ciclamino is sponsored by Be It, a made in Italy marketing campaign.
- Category A+B stages (Stages 2,5,10,11,14,17,21) offer points for the first 15 riders at the finish: 50-35-25-18-14-12-10-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
- Category C stages: (Stages 3,4,6,8,12) offer points for the first 10: 25-18-12-8-6-5-4-3-2-1
- Category D+E: (Stages 1,7,9,13,15,16,18,19,20) offer points for the first 10: 15-12-9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
- For the first intermediate sprint of each stage there are points for the first eight: 12-8-6-5-4-3-2-1
Blue: the mountains jersey. It is sponsored by Banca Mediolanum, a bank. There are five categories of climb and note the weighting towards first place. New for 2023 is a system where if the final climb is also an arrival then the points are increased* and as you can see below the Cima Coppi and its 50 points are no longer unique:
- 9 fourth category climbs: the first three riders crossing the top of the climb win 3-2 and 1 points respectively
- 8 third category climbs: the first four riders over the top get 9-4-2-1 points
- 18 second category climbs: first six riders get 18-8-6-4-2-1 points but if it is also the finish of the stage then 26, 12, 8, 4, 2, 1 points instead
- 13 first category climbs: the first eight riders get 40-18-12-9-6-4-2-1 points but if it is also the finish then 50,24,16,9,6,4,2,1
- CC or Cima Coppi: a special award, the “Coppi Summit” for the highest point of the race. This year it is the San Bernardino on Stage 13. The first nine win 50-30-20-14-10-6-4-2-1 points
* This revised system is in the Italian version of the rulebook and not the English version but as the both rulebooks both say, the Italian version stands in case of a dispute.
White: for the best young rider, this is awarded on the same basis as the pink jersey, except the rider must be born after 1 January 1998, ie aged 25 or under. It is sponsored by Intimissimi, an underwear brand.
Now a rider can’t wear two jerseys at once, they’d get too hot and the sponsors wouldn’t get the exposure they’ve paid for. So if a rider leads several classifications, they take the most prestigious jersey for themselves and the number-two ranked rider in the other competition gets to wear the other jersey. For example if a rider has both the pink jersey and the blue mountains jersey they’ll wear pink whilst whoever is second in the mountains jersey will sport blue jersey. The hierarchy is pink > points > mountains > white.
There are also other prizes and in-race competitions such as the intermediate sprint competition which is separate to the points competition or the time bonuses also available at these spots; the breakaway prize for the rider with the most kilometres in the breakaway; the fighting spirit prize which is a combined competition for scoring across the points, mountains and so on; the team prize; and the fair play prize for teams that avoid fines and penalties.
Time cuts
All riders have to make the time cut each day to stay in the race and this is a function of the stage type and average speed:
- Stages 2,17,21: the winner’s time plus 7% if the average speed is less than or equal to 40 km/h; 8% if the average speed is between 40 and 45 km/h; 10% if the average speed is over 45 km/h
- Stages 5,10,11,14: the winner’s time plus 9% if the average speed is less than or equal to 37 km/h; 10% of the average speed is between 37 and 41 km/h; 11% if the average speed is over 41 km/h
- Stages 3,4,6,8,12 the winner’s time plus 11% if the average speed is less than or equal to 35 km/h; 12% if the average speed is between 35 km and 39 km/h; 13% if the average speed is over 39 km/h
- Stages 7,13,15,16,18,19 the winners’ time plus 16% if the average speed is less than or equal to 30 km/h; 17% if the average speed between 30 km/h and 34 km/h; 18% if the average speed is over 34km/h;
- For Stages 1,9 and 20, the winner’s time plus 30%
Three Kilometre Rule
Anyone with a mechanical or crash within the final three kilometres can get the same finishing time as the group the were with at the time of the incident on Stages 2,3,4,5,6,8,10,11,12,14,15,17 and 21.
Bunch sprint time gaps
The protocol for time gaps in bunch sprints applies for Stages 2,3,5,6,10,11,14 and 21.
The unmissable stages
Anything can happen during the Giro but there are some stages that matter more than others, some suggestions for the must-watch days:
- Stage 4 with a selective uphill finish
- Stage 7 to see who’s the sassiest on the Gran Sasso
- Stage 13 as the start of the big mountain stages
- Stage 16 for the Bondone tappone
- Stage 18 with the hipster alternative Dolomite climbs
- Stage 19 for the Dolomite derby to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo
- Stage 20 as the final TT to settle the race
TV
All stages will be broadcast live from start to finish. Italian host broadcaster RAI offers the richest coverage with experienced commentators as well as roving reporters on motorbikes to add extra info. If you want English coverage, there’s Eurosport-GCN of course on TV and online.
The timing varies but as a rule the finish is expected for around 5.15pm CEST each day.
W Il Giro!
Roglic will be having nightmares from two years ago about the final time trial!
Indeed. And if he isn’t yet, he will be after he’s asked about it several times.
The big sprinters and those hanging on will also be dreading it. A 30% time cut can mean a time trial is a rest/recovery day for half of the field if the course is flat but here plenty will have to push hard to be in the safe side… or risk going out on Stage 20.
I often think that Tour was quite underrated.
It was a slow burn but that final day was so remarkable it grows in my memory year on year – a truly special day.
What made it almost as special as it turned out to be was also in part Roglic’s good humour and kindness after – he almost set the tone for what seems like the respectful rivalry we now know between the big5 on that day and I became a fan of his then and there.
A better judgement of someone’s true character could be how they treat those who they consider ‘beneath’ them. Roglic’s ongoing bullying of Fred Wright means I have very much the opposite opinion on him.
I find it very odd that Evenepoel gets so much stick for his supposed arrogance (which may well have been justified earlier in his career – but look at his age compared with Roglic), while Roglic publicly – and unjustifiably – berates a much younger person than himself over a period of weeks/months, and people talk about what a nice chap he is.
What do you base your analysis of Roglic´ attitude towards Wright on?
Why do you think that Roglic considers Wright as somehow (your choice of word) beneath him and how can you assume that Roglic wouldn´t have seen the incident the same way and expressed his opinion in the same manner, if it had been someone “higher up” than Wright?
Where did you see bullying that went on for weeks and months? In my recollection, Roglic stated his opinion straight after the incident in September and then answered a direct question on the subject in an interview in November.
Maybe he should have known better, but it isn´t his fault that commentators in various media cannot give it a rest, now is it?:-)
NB I´m not accusing Wright fans or Jumbo anti-fans especially…
True, I don’t know Roglic’s motivation. But I can’t see him reacting this way if it had been another GT contender he’d crashed with.
Only he is responsible for what he says. Regardless of what he is asked.
Being most favourable to Roglic, it was a racing incident. Being less favourable, he seemed to wobble into Wright, and Roglic is one of those riders who crashes a lot (they’re not all ‘bad luck’).
Also, a clever rider who is riding for GC would have never got involved in a sprint that he wasn’t going to win, having just been caught following an attack, and would have simply followed the others over the line.
But he has castigated Wright. That’s a particularly harsh thing for a man in his 30s to do to a man in his 20s.
Sep to Nov is weeks/months.
I’m a fan of neither rider. And prior to this had nothing at all against Roglic.
We haven´t had any disagreement about the incident or about whose fault it was or about Roglic´ relative crash-proneness.
The argument is about whether we can make what is more or less a character judgement based on what we have – which is:
– Roglic had a strong and very subjective opinion and did not have any qualms about expressing it
– a good two months later he was still of the same opinion and saw no reason to be diplomatic when asked about it
– that´s about it
– we don’t know whether anyone in his team tried to make him see the incident differently; all we know is that the team´s PR department wasn´t involved…
So he was wrong about it. And stubborn about being in the right. Big deal. Calling it “ongoing bullying” or “castigating” a rider is not only a little bit harsh but quite unwarranted.
And so is reading too much into the fact that Wright is a young man or insisting that Roglic should have restrained himself because he isn´t.
PS Yes, we know where September and November are in the calendar.
PPS What I tried to express was that I absolutely didn´t think it was being a Wright, Pogacar or Eveneopoel fan or your dislike of Jumbo Visma that motivated you. But, alas, I seem to have failed in that. too 🙁
You’re a young guy, you’re relatively new to the sport, and then one of the very top riders rips into you for a crash that was largely his own fault. Fans of his also rip into you online. Then, he brings it up again two months later. Ask yourself how you’d have felt at 23.
@Anonymous:
Once more, we are not discussing how Wright felt about it – or, indeed, how all those who felt obliged to comment time and time again in various media thought Wright must have felt.
We are discussing what we can say about Roglic´ character on the basis of what we know and, indeed, what we know and what we should know we don´t know.
We know Roglic didn´t “bring it up again”, he was asked about it and he gave a straight answer.
We may think he should and could have sidestepped the question or shown sufficient maturity by admitting that he had been wrong about it – but I don´t think we should go too far in our zeal to see justice done or to defend a young rider´s reputation.
Anyway, I don´t think Wright´s reputation suffered the least bit – and I´m pretty sure that mass of Roglic fans “ripping into him” never hurt his feelings (if he ever read those comments…).
Thanks for the rundown. Regarding Rome’s roads, I still don’t know how they’re going to have the WC in Glasgow this year. I’ve never been anywhere with worse roads: you can’t drive at 30mph in Glasgow.
And I haven’t seen any frantic resurfacing.
So, it’s for the côtes & cobbles athletes, Amstel planimetry and Roubaix surface, a Brabantse Pijl of sort!
(I’m speaking og Glasgow, it might fit Rome, too, as a description, but eventually they made the circuit less complicated)
How’s the Crow road looking? They have to descend down the East Dunbartonshire side to get to Glasgow, and there’s often sections that are in bits on that. Not living near it any more to look mysel’.
Looks like Google Streetview just went up it. This is a pretty fast section which looks more rough than usual at moment: https://goo.gl/maps/wG9bnr4HSe3kAuC76
Then at the bottom, there’s the set of fast, technical corners going into Lennoxtown. You can go into these at >65kph even with open roads in good conditions, so the racers probably will go in at 75 to 85kph – but the surface looks pretty poor mid-corner in places:
https://goo.gl/maps/wJYSjQxqquHHa1AdA
https://goo.gl/maps/wJYSjQxqquHHa1AdA
Generally, the rural roads are nowhere near as potholed as the ones in Glasgow. However, I drove the Crow road about a couple of weeks ago and one long section of it is terrible. I imagine they’ll have to resurface it, but who knows? Depends who is paying: does East Dunbartonshire Council have the cash?
Google Streetview just went up it seems. I’d left a comment with links, but inrng seems to have deleted it.
The little kink before the bridge up in the valley looks to be pretty rough. And then down at the end, the fast bends just before Lennoxtown – by the Campsie golf club – there look to be some chunks of quite rough tarmac right on the racing line through one or two of the bends. Those are /very/ fast technical and largely blind corners. 65 kph for an amateur in good conditions on open roads, sticking to the lane (not the racing line) – probably 75 to 85 for the racers?
I don’t know if East Dunbartonshire have the cash, but they never did anything but chip-seal their side of the Crow in all the time I’ve cycled there – up until 2018. And it doesn’t look to have any maintenance since then either!
No idea if it’s a similar circuit, but they did hold the European Champs in Glasgow a few years ago, so some roads must be tried and tested?
I think the EC road circuit was similar to the BC and Commonwealth games before that – stuck to a circuit within Glasgow. The WC race is starting near Edinburgh, going out past the Kelpies, then towards Stirling and out to Kippen – not 100% sure exactly which roads to get to the A811. After that they’re going up through Kippen, to the “Top of the World”, down to Fintry, then up the Crow and down it again to get to the Glasgow circuit (no idea which roads after Lennoxtown to get there), which I gather will be similar to the EC and BC circuit.
So is that down the side with the Robert millar mural then?
Havn’t seen the mural – after my time – but yeah, they descend down the Crow to Lennoxtown, past the Campsie golf club and that mural.
I should see about organising a trip to the WC, and maybe get to see that mural. 😉
Correction, as I’ve found the detailed route at last, rather than the vague graphics before – see the UCI WC Information Bulleting: https://www.uci.org/competition-hub/2023-uci-road-world-championships/1c1p9kMnZzt5wloOlphxRg
They’re not taking the A811 to Kippen. They’re going from Falkirk to Denny and then from Denny via the Strath Carron road, past the Carron reservoir, to Fintry, and then up and down the Crow.
Drove from Fintry to the start of Meikle Bin (so only a third of the way to Denny) on that road same day as I did the Crow Road, and it too is an absolute state in places.
The three set pieces in Bergamo include Roncola, the climb par excellence for the locals. Just scroll Strava or think Lombardia 2021 when it shred the bunch to pieces and defined the framework for whatever followed albeit very far from the line (I saw lots of worn out faces on the top). Here it’s called Valpiana because in order to descend the other side they’ll go beyond the village with its roadside curch and little fountain which is the red hot finish line for Strava warriors. It’s nothing special, as visitors often point out, relatively short and over 10% only here and there, still a 20′ all-in effort on >8% ramps. Quality choice going up Barlino at the beginning, a 15% wall which forces you out of steam from scratch. Sweet memories for Caruso who won an U23 national title on a devilish circuit which tackled the wall only, but multiple times.
Yet, a breakaway stage which looks a little underwhelming for a Sunday, even if it fits in a clear and now-classic RCS strategy to have huge roadside crowds on weekends, rather than topping the audience charts (which would need a true mountain stage). Bergamo will sure grant the former, which on turn will be a show in its own right for whomever is going to watch on TV.
Besides, at the end of the day it’s the kind of tricky stage which can sometimes turn into memorable racing, especially at the Giro. Far from granted, in this case, but that’s the nature of the tricky stage, that it blows unexpectedly. If it does.
It’s a pity that they don’t get more imaginative with the finish. Città Alta and around can offer so much more than the Boccola. Without going wild with any Maresana of sort, a look at GCN Italia and you’ll find the Ronde van Bergamo which could prompt ideas. Or simply put 2-3 of the “normal” tarmac little climbs in sequence. But Bergamo is a conservative city, indeed.
Ps As I noted elsewhere, keep an eye on Sambusita-Miragolo, a shorter version of the Sambusita-Salmezza climb, which has belonged for decades to the local Trofeo dello Scalatore series. Steep but short, what’s more relevant on narrow roads then a complicated descent. An occasion for a first “fuga della fuga” selection, before the definitive one on Roncola. Or to eject gregari and isolate a rival before eventually attacking him later on.
A risky bet, but I’d rather watch live the last 50 kms of stage 8, while stage 4 or 7 might work well in evening highlight format.
By the way, I don’t know if the errata was yours or Garibaldi’s, but stage 7 looks to be listed twice in the time cut categories, both in the first and the penultimate.
My mistake, fixed now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CawSCO1QdfQ
Rome’s roads are for sure not the best for cycling. I crashed on ’em myself a time or two when we lived there – eventually riding only my fat-tired bike on the infamous stones.
https://www.romabbella.com/en/things-to-do-en/sampietrini/
Thanks for the preview – I assume if Ineos, Jumbo or QS win the opening TT, there’ll be an attempt to pass on the Maglia Rosa, rather then try to defend it indefinitely.
Also, stage 20’s TT I think will cause the GC contenders to take stage 19 as easy as possible, which is a shame.
If you think the GC contenders can take stage 19 easy, you’ve never been there. That long rise to the Campolongo, the Valparola, Giau and then finish with Tre Cime. Makes me tired just to remember all those climbs!
I meant, that the following day’s TT will probably mean there will not be any “full gas” racing for fear of completely blowing up.
It does give the breakaway more of a chance as the big names will have the next day in mind but it depends on the way the racing has gone. If, say, Evenepoel’s been losing time in the third week but still in the lead then he could be pushed and made to lose more time so that he’s under even more pressure for the TT. Or Ineos use strength in numbers… but so many scenarios.
Evenepoel has said out loud that if he takes the lead on the opening day, he’ll be delighted if someone else can take it the next day… cue Jumbo-Visma chasing to keep him in pink 😉
if Remco puts some serious time into Roglic on stage 1’s TT, then I’ll guarantee Jumbo will chase and hunt for bonus seconds, which means we’ll see a lot of Dennis and Affini.
There are quite a few lumpy stages where the final climb is a good distance from the finish this year – hadn’t realised how many. Could be a good year for breakaways or for reduced-bunch-sprinters!
Listening to a French podcast the other day, Cyrille Guimard was asked about the course… paused…laughed… and finally said “un carnage” which doesn’t need translation. The pure sprinters have a hard race ahead.
As I showed before, a hard race – but not for lack of terrain when sprint stage are concerned. After all, the 2017 Olbia-Tortoli was a 100 men sprint, with all its 3500 m of altitude gain and 220 km. Sam Bennett, not exactly the most climbing sprinter, survived the Tre Monti climb 8 kms from the line. Or, as I already wrote, Quaranta (!) won a stage which started climbing the Abetone…
Besides the essentially flat 2, 11, 17 and 21 stages, also 5, 6 or 14 could end up ina bunch sprints, if only the teams really wanted. No obstacle you can’t bounce back from for any serious sprinter. I suspect we’ll get lots of breakaways, which is what RCS aimed to, but it’s not because the course prevents mass sprints,
A much better route than the TdF, where most of the climbing days are preposterously short.
Is Tre Cime di Lavaredo where Nibali – exhibiting the greatest calm I have ever witnessed in a bike race – gently scooped away the fans who were all but engulfing him on the climb?
I can’t tell whether Napolitan is a typo for Neapolitan/Napolitano, or some clever pun about the Japanese spaghetti.
Just synthesising languages by accident.
That’s how it’s said on the Sopranos…though Anthony Jr said Nobbledygobbledy…
It seems a pity that La Gazzetta delo Sporte (probably incorrect spelling) changed from green to pink all those years ago.
Yeah, one of those recent marketing schemes to appeal to a new generation – circa 1899. It’s LA GAZZETTA DELLO SPORT fyi.
I think the story goes that the printers just ran out of green paper in 1899.
Green feels like a good colour for Italy in May as all the vegetation is so verdant, it’s as if the country has turned green, especially as parts of it will turn yellow/brown in the summer, but pink is very visible, it’s good branding.
Be fair Larry, you remember the colour change. It’s before 150w’s time.
Yeah, take that you young whippersnappers…get off my lawn! 🙂
Great summary, thanks! Why didn’t you use the latest profiles, featuring the categorisation of the climbs and the location of the intermediate sprints? It should also been noted that some of the stages have a different length than in those profiles. Stage 9 is 35 km for instance.
I’ve looked at the profiles in the road book and they are all fuzzy/out of focus. The ones on the official website under each stage are ok though.
I started with the old profiles because the new ones weren’t available but will drop them in. It’s just a manual job to copy-paste 21 times so a bit dull. The daily previews here will feature the latest versions.
Similarly, they’ve switched up the locations of the categorized climbs on stage 5, and it looks like they’re putting the KOM banner slightly below the summit of the final climb on stage 15.
I scoured the internet for a guide I could copy (as I sometimes end up watching the race a few days behind), and after many, many clicks, I found this guide that has the categorisations of the climbs:
https://www.alpecincycling.com/en/pro-peloton/21-stages-giro-ditalia-2023/
Here comes May, and il Giro… How not to be happy ? The percorso seems much better than last year – so do the leaders (at least the narrative behind them : Evenepoel vs. Roglic, last Giro of Pinot, etc). Viva il Giro indeed ! Let’s just hope that Evenepoel doesn’t kill the race too early, and that Roglic doesn’t fall…
Category A+B stages (Stages 2,5,7,10,11,14, 21) offer points for the first 15 riders at the finish: 50-35-25-18-14-12-10-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. For the intermediate sprint there are points for the first eight: 20-12-8-6-4-3-2-1
Guess it is stage 17 instead of stage 7? Also the same typo at the ‘time cuts’.
Nice to read it everytime. I don’t react often but always a reader of your guides and previews. Good work.
Fixed, thanks
Only the 1st intermediate sprint gives points for the points classification. And the point scale is in any case (A, B, C, D) 12, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
The 2nd one is for time bonifcations. No points a given for the ciclamen.
Both, 1st and 2nd intermediate sprints, give points for the combative price (in facht a combination classification) an für the intermediates sprint-classification “traguardi volanti”.
Source: https://www.oasport.it/2023/05/giro-ditalia-2023-il-regolamento-gli-abbuoni-per-la-tappa-e-ai-traguardi-volanti-i-punti-per-maglia-azzurra-e-ciclamino/?refresh_ce
Just a correction note to delete in case: IIRC there is no back-up tunnel option for Simplon. There is a tunnel, but only for the railroads, not for the cars
It’s a railway tunnel yes… but it has trains which take cars and trucks wishing to avoid the pass.
That’s right. But normally the Simplon stays open all winter, the road should be clear.
According to the very interesting alpen paesse. Ch website the simplon is now open, gsb still shut
The sudtirolwebsite says the valparolo and campolongo are now open
They can open them for the race, the problem is more if the weather turns. The combination of walls of snow by the road and wet snow creates avalanche risk; or just that it can still snow plenty at these altitudes on a rotten day in May which risks spoiling the sport if the climbs and especially the descent are bad. As ever the Giro has to have a Plan B route just in case.
I’m surmising avalanche risk is why the pass gardena is open in the morning but shut in the afternoon
Before anyone whines “Why can’t they have the Giro at some other time?” I can tell you that snow slides can happen much later than May/June. When we used to run tours over Passo Stelvio (in July) I remember seeing CLOSED signs at the bottom – one time I rode up with clients and we simply climbed over the snow piled on the road (how nice the ride up was with no motorized traffic!) with the support van waiting until the road was cleared and another when our entire entourage rode/drove the alternate route through Switzerland once we learned they weren’t going to be in any hurry to clear the snow.
Very useful guide, thanks.
On the blue jersey competition, I read a confusing rule about more points at summit finishes.
There are 6 final climbs with a different scoring system that gives more points to 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
Five are Cat 1 (Campo Imperatore, Crans, M. Bondone, Lavaredo and Lussari), one is Cat 2 (Zoldo).
From p. 14 of the rulebook:
GPM DI 1a CATEGORIA
Se arrivo di tappa, saranno assegnati rispettivamente i punti (primi 8 class.): 50, 24, 16, 9, 6, 4, 2, 1
Al passaggio saranno assegnati rispettivamente i punti (primi 8 classificati): 40, 18, 12, 9, 6, 4, 2, 1
GPM DI 2 a CATEGORIA
Se arrivo di tappa, saranno assegnati rispettivamente i punti (primi 6 classificati): 26, 12, 8, 4, 2, 1
Al passaggio saranno assegnati rispettivamente i punti (primi 6 classificati): 18, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1
sorry for bad formatting
Confused here, looks like the headings are mixed, eg “GPM DI 1a CATEGORIA” should be before “Al passaggio saranno assegnati rispettivamente i punti (primi 8 classificati): 40, 18, 12, 9, 6, 4, 2, 1”?
I got the English rulebook from the organisers. But there’s normally a rule – it’s in the rulebook here as usual – that if there’s difference then the Italian version is taken as correct.
I only got italian sources about that.
This is where i read the rulebook: https://cyclinside.it/download/86782/?tmstv=1683135560
And an article about this new rule: https://cyclingpro.net/spaziociclismo/giro-2023/giro-ditalia-2023-punti-aggiuntivi-ai-gpm-quando-corrispondono-al-traguardo/
Got it now, thanks and yes the spam filter took it.
The English and Italian versions are different, with the Italian version saying there are extra points for these climbs if they are a finish as you say. It’s interesting as it means the Cima Coppi is not the one-off it was as other climbs have 50 points now as well.
I downloaded the rulebook in italian from cyclinside dot it (posted the link but maybe was filtered in spam).
Looks fine to me, what’s the issue? They begin with 1st cat. as final climb, you see more points for the first three than when you just pass over it during the stage. Then same thing for 2nd cat., first they show the points you got when the stage ends there, then those for just passing over mid-stage
The issue could be RCS did not translate it properly in the english version?
Apparently, they rather left a line out, or copy-pasted from a previous year (I could check the latter, but frankly not willing to).
The sprinter attendance seems very low so those few teams with a real headliner flat stage sprinter will have a massive job on the flat sprint days.
seems like a snooze fest for the first 12 stages. And what is the point of a day like stage 14 I will never know.
Saw a photo of the grand saint Bernard under 4m of snow.
Do they plough stage routes to clear them?
Just saw above discussion, apologies for duplicate
Stage 20 might get altered as the teams are not happy with the support being only on motorbikes.
They might be able to reach a compromise with three wheelers!
Geez, the race has yet to start but the polemics (Roglic vs Wright) are already going? 🙁
I think the bigger (or, indeed, actual) polemic might be the teams deciding – for reasons beyond me – that mechanics can’t ride on a motorbike for 7.5km uphill on the Stage 20 TT.
What I find disturbing is that nowadays the teams consider as a potential problem such a support by mechs on motorbikes, which has already happened in the past several times without any major complication, Plan de Corones being the most similar example.
It happens at Roubaix-style races, too, on part of the course, and here it would be hugely easier than there.
The specific characteristics of the ITT have been known for long, and they first acted… in March?
Looks more of the Asti and Cortina d’Ampezzo stuff.
I don’t know what this refers to: ‘Looks more of the Asti and Cortina d’Ampezzo stuff.’
I can’t see why it would be an issue either. I’m also not sure which teams would benefit from making these complaints. Might S-Q think that the long uphill part favours Roglic? I’m not at all convinced that it would. Might J-V want to get rid of as much TT’ing as possible? I’m not convinced they’d want to get rid of the uphill bit.
The infamous stages shortened due to bad weather in 2020 and 2021, in both cases after protests from riders or teams for what were seen by many as more or less spurious reasons.
What Friday said and, besides, the feeling of untimely complaints which, when and if Vegni should fully surrender as he too often does, would ultimately hurt the race and may I even say the sport without much more motive than political arm wrestling and whatever own advantage some teams have in mind.
A huge deal of work goes into preparing any single stage, not only by organisers but also by volunteers and locals; so, while I’m absolutely favourable to taking care of those uncountable safety issues which cycling still struggles with, as well as publicly castigating the organisers for astounding pieces of poor work in that sense we happen to see sometimes (especially in Spain, but I also remember recent woes at Lombardia), plus obviously giving voice to the peloton as a collective subject… well, I’m way less favourable when there’s no actual safety issue, and when those voicing around are groups of interest rather than representing any basic collective of workers.
I even believe that such an attitude, at the end of the day, deducts from and discredits the above actions or themes, making it harder to hold a serious conversation on it all.
But perhaps I’ve lost some precious piece of information on the Lussari polemica.
I’ve only read about the teams’ letter, UCI’s supposed intervention to pressure RCS, and QS’ comments on it by Remco. The latter, albeit speaking generally of other climbing options, also suggest (in a slightly contradictive way) to just finish after the first 11 km. That, indeed, would suit quite much Remco, no doubt. And maybe they know that because of signed contracts even if you consider a broader range of options for your B-plan, sticking to start/finish towns is always the most probable one, when doable.
They’re build the road for this final phase, it’s hard to see it being cancelled or even altered as it’s been a big deal for locals, regional politicians etc. But teams will be worried, if a rider punctures and gets the spare bike from a mechanic, should they puncture again, jam the chain etc there might not be a spare when there would be in a car.
It’s the sort of thing teams don’t like because it’s risk they can’t control plus it could be terrible for the image of their technical sponsors. But the time to discuss this was long ago for them.
Thanks for the enlightening replies, folks.
A depressingly familiar story.
Maybe the technical sponsors could make more reliable kit?
I actually wouldn’t mind there being some limit on equipment changes over a GT. I.e., they can bring X of this, Y of that, and no more. Perhaps also a limit over the course of a season. I’d like to see reliability and durability be part of the mix on the technical side. Modern gear can be incredibly finicky, and almost impossible to repair (STI innards, e.g. – you need to have the fingers of a watchmaker).
Where is this whining being reported on? Is this a DS thing? He can’t watch a TV screen and bark instructions at his rider if no cars are allowed? And with motos/drivers provided by RCS nobody can do a “Mr 60%” trick and get in the way of rivals with his moto?
The AIGCP sent a letter to the UCI on the subject a few weeks ago, then (reportedly) the UCI started to urge the Giro to change the system they had organised with motos, and now Quickstep is rocking the boat again.
Thanks, I’ve heard nothing about this until now. Can you point me to something that outlines what AIGCP’s objections are and what the UCI said about it? Other than the non-sporting issues I noted, I fail to see what they can object to – each rider will have a moto behind with (I assume) a spare bike…probably one closer to the rider than it would be if it were atop a car!
Neither contents were made public, just news on Sporza and then follow up by different cycling media (Google will offer a broad range of them).
I’m as puzzled as you. It was done several times already, and on dirt road, we’re not speaking mere theories, and no hint of any problem ever surfaced.
That’s why I think it is usual sh- ahem, cycling politics, I mean.
Have we gone from “weld yourself your own broken fork at local forge” to “we can’t climb some 7 kms (!) with some mech tracking closely each and every rider bringing spare bike and/or wheels… because we’re afraid of critical equipment failure”. Seriously? Run them up, then (don’t forget your bike, if you bring it alone it’s fine).
Bike sponsoring in cycling races was supposed to show how good, and especially how resistant, the product is, now even before the race has even started, I’m sort of receiving the opposite message. Equipment failure may await in a 7 km climb on newly paved roads, sounds good.
Bicisport finally had something on this but still no reasons for the complaint, so I suspect my guess is (like yours) correct. They mentioned an alternative – running a similar chrono stage finishing atop Zoncolan. That road’s wide enough for the DS’ car to follow, not so much for mechanical issues as how can a guy on a moto with spare bike slung over his shoulder be less good than a car where someone has to get out and remove the bike from the rack vs just jump off the moto with bike on shoulder and swap? Can’t help but assume the DS’ want that illusion of control they get in the car with video screen and radio contact with the rider.
My wife had an interesting idea on that whole thing – a delay in the transmission so the DS’ couldn’t instantly react to what he’s seeing and bark-out commands. Most of the so-called “safety” of that audio/video technology would remain, but it’s effect on the action might be muted. I’m sure the DS’ would scream but I’d like to see it tried.
I had thought something on the lines of what your wife suggested, and if I lend myself to some sheer conspiranoia, I might even go as far as thinking about some (forbidden) telemetry, with devices whose communication range might perhaps reach 1-2 kms but not necessarily go over 5 kms… however, my technical knowledge on the subject is really poor, so this is really letting the mind go freewheeling, “chiacchiere da bar”. And nobody would do anything forbidden, would they?