Favorites stage 13 Giro d'Italia 2024

Leading up to the big tests for the GC on Saturday (time trial) and Sunday (Livigno stage), the peloton is likely to face a relatively calm stage on Friday. The 179-kilometer route from Riccione to Cento has hardly any elevation gain, but riders must still be cautious in the final kilometers. IDLProCycling.com walks you through the stage!

Course stage 13 Giro d'Italia 2024

Favorites stage 13 Giro d'Italia 2024 | Flat as a pizza, you know what that means!

In cycling jargon, the phrase 'as flat as a pancake' is sometimes used, but for this Italian stage race, we'll stick to 'as flat as a pizza'. From the start in Riccione to the finish in Cento, the elevation does not exceed forty meters above sea level, which means that this stage will definitely be marked on the sprinters' calendars.

The starting point, Riccione, is located on the Adriatic coast, where the Giro d'Italia caravan has already docked several times in recent days. From Riccione, we pass places like Rimini and Cesena on the inland route, with the peloton primarily riding on wide roads. This makes it ideal for controlling a breakaway group of a few riders, if anyone even feels like breaking away with the predicted headwinds.

After the intermediate sprint in Villanova, we turn right and eventually head towards the finish line in Cento via the second intermediate sprint in Conselice. Cento is slightly north of Bologna, a city we will also visit at the start of this summer's Tour de France.

In a sprinter's stage, the final kilometers are, of course, the most interesting, and these yet again look quite technical. The route crosses the Rhine, but during the sprint preparation, there will be little focus on the scenery: stress levels will rise significantly as the peloton charges towards Cento.

Just under three kilometers from the finish, there is a first sharp turn, followed by a long straight stretch of over one kilometer where all the lead-out trains will fight for positions. With one and a half kilometers to go, we head into a technical section consisting of three turns on Via I Maggio and one large curve around Cento's city center.

Then, riders must keep right at a roundabout, with the final 450 meters being on a straight, wide road. Those positioned well at the front have a great chance of winning this stage!

Climbs
None

Times
Start: 1 PM
Finish: around 5:15 PM

Weather stage 13 Giro d'Italia 2024

Riders in this year's Giro don't have much to complain about in terms of the weather. At the start on the coast in Riccione, it will be 25 degrees Celsius, and at the finish in Cento, it will be two degrees cooler. The wind will be predominantly a (cross) headwind for most of the day, likely discouraging attackers.

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) has so far been the standout sprinter in this Giro d’Italia. With powerhouse teammates like Daan Hoole, Andrea Bagioli, Jasper Stuyven, Edward Theuns and Simone Consonni, Milan has a formidable lead-out, and he generally has the qualities to successfully finish the job at the line.

On paper, Tim Merlier of Soudal Quick-Step seems to be his main rival. The Belgian finished second on Wednesday but was relegated due to an illegal maneuver. Merlier and his lead-outs Bert Van Lerberghe and Luke Lamperti will aim to make amends on Friday with another chance for the sprinters before heading into the mountains.

Other sprinters will need a bit of luck. Kaden Groves, representing Alpecin-Deceuninck, has been consistently present in the Giro so far but still hasn't secured a win. Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE-Team Emirates) has shown he has fast legs but was held back by Merlier in a promising position on Wednesday. Perhaps a new lead-out from Tadej Pogacar can make the difference.

Caleb Ewan (Jayco AlUla) and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) are among the sprinters who haven't quite made it yet, but based on their intrinsic speed, they should be closer. Alberto Dainese (Tudor) and Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) also fall into this category, although both have faced different challenges in this Giro.

For the top ten, we're counting on riders like Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ), Danny van Poppel (BORA-hansgrohe), Stanislaw Aniolkowski (Cofidis), Giovanni Lonardi (Polti-Kometa), Hugo Hofstetter (Israel-Premier Tech), Davide Ballerini (Astana Qazaqstan), Tobias Lund Andresen (dsm-firmenich PostNL), David Dekker (Arkéa - B&B Hotels), Enrico Zanoncello (VF Group - Bardiani) and Madis Mikhels (Intermarché-Wanty).

And what about the breakaway? Well... That will be tough. Riders like Edoardo Affini (Visma | Lease a Bike), Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) or even Filippo Ganna (INEOS) would be needed for that.