Preview Giro d'Italia 2025 - route | Hats off to the team who put together these 21 stages!

On Friday, May 9, it's time for the Giro d'Italia. Starting in Albania, the riders will face something new in the first three days before crossing over to the southern peninsular section of Italy. Then, we get a different format than in recent years: fewer really tough mountain stages above 2000 meters but more stages of intermediate difficulty. IDLProCycling.com lists the route between Durrës and Rome!

Stage 1, Friday, May 9, 2025: Durrës - Tirana (164.0 km)

The Giro d'Italia will start with a stage similar to last year's. This will take place in Durrës, on the coast. The route will then take a loop, including the 13.5-kilometer climb to Gracen with a gradient of 5.2%, and head for the capital Tirana. Two local laps will be completed there, including the Surrel climb. With a steep start, this 4.9-kilometer climb at 4.4 percent is tackled for the last time a little over eleven kilometers from the finish.

Favorites
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Alberto Bettiol (XDS-Astana)

Stage 2, Saturday, May 10: Tirana - Tirana (13.7 kilometers, time trial)

On day two, the organizers opted for an individual time trial in Tirana, similar to the Budapest start in 2022. The 13.7-kilometer trial combines long straight stretches, more technical sections, and the Sauk climb (1.2 kilometers at 5.7 percent) halfway through.

Favorites
Joshua Tarling (INEOS Grenadiers)
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Brandon McNulty (UAE Emiraters-XRG)

Stage 3, Sunday, May 11: Vlöre - Vlöre (160.0 km)

The first serious mountain of this Giro d'Italia is on the program for day three. The riders will start and finish on Albanian soil in Vlöre on the last day, from where the boats depart for Italy. The route is up and down from the start until the Oafa e Llogarasë climb looms up after 110 kilometers. This climb is 10.7 kilometers long with an average gradient of 7.4 percent, after which there are still forty kilometers to the finish. Half of these are downhill, the other half flat. Will there be opportunities for the breakaway riders, survivors, or GC contenders?

Favorites
Tom Pidcock (Q36.5)
Cristian Scaroni (XDS-Astana)
Pelayo Sanchez (Movistar)

Stage 4, Tuesday, May 13: Alberobello - Lecce (187.0 km)

After a rest and travel day, the riders will begin part two of the Giro d'Italia on day four on Italian soil. A stage for the fast men has been planned from Alberobello, where they can get a taste of the finish in Lecce by taking on a local twelve-kilometer circuit.

Favorites
Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Milan Fretin (Cofidis)
Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Wanty)

Stage 5, Wednesday, May 14: Ceglie Messapica - Matera (145.0 km)

The fifth stage starts in Puglia, a popular tourist destination. After 145 kilometers of racing, the drivers will arrive in Matera after a beautiful finale. This opens up at approximately thirty kilometers with the climb to Montescaglioso, which is 2.8 kilometers long at 8.5 percent. Then, there are still a few meters of climbing towards the castle of Tramontano, and two small hills must be conquered before reaching Matera. The last of these is 700 meters at almost 8 percent, with the summit less than two kilometers from the finish.

Favorites
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)

Stage 6, Thursday, May 15: Potenza - Naples (226.0 km)

Wow, what a route. Naples has been the finish line of the Giro d'Italia for several years and will be again this year, but the riders must work hard for their prize. The first 150 kilometers involve a lot of climbing before the last 75 kilometers to the famous Italian city are mainly flat. Will it be a Thomas De Gendt (2022) or Olav Kooij (2024?) day?

Favorites
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)

Stage 7, Friday, May 16: Castel di Sangro - Tagliacozzo (168.0 km)

We have the first serious mountain stage just before the second weekend of the Giro. From the start, the road immediately climbs 7.4 kilometers at 6 percent, after which Monte Urano (4.5 km at 9.4%) will already be a serious test of the muscles. We finally arrive in Tagliacozzo after a climb of 12.6 kilometers at 5.4 percent. The last 2.6 kilometers ascend at more than 9 percent.

Favorites
Juan Ayuso (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step)
Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)

Stage 8, Saturday, May 17: Giulianova - Castelraimondo (197.0 km)

Oh my, what an explosive stage! This is one of those stages where men can be brought to their knees after just one week of racing. It is 197 kilometers of racing, and there are few flat sections, with the 13.1-kilometer climb to Valico di Santa (13.1 kilometers at 7.4 percent) as the highlight. From there, it continues to go up and down until Castelraimondo.

Favorites
Wout Poels (XDS-Astana)
Einer Rubio (Movistar)
Romain Bardet (Picnic PostNL)

Stage 9, Sunday, May 18: Gubbio - Siena (181.0 km)

Strade Bianche! The ninth stage of the Giro d'Italia ends in Siena, but we must conquer many tricky hills and almost thirty kilometers of gravel roads before we get there. The last seven hundred meters also climb at 9.1 percent, so this is a stage you will want to watch on TV.

Favorites
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek)
Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Stage 10, Tuesday, May 20: Lucca - Pisa (28.6 km, individual time trial)

After a well-deserved second rest day, the riders will face a time trial through Tuscany in stage ten. They will have to cover 28.6 kilometers from Lucca to Pisa on a course requiring a combination of technique and power.

Favorites
Joshua Tarling (INEOS Grenadiers)
Juan Ayuso (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)

Stage 11, Wednesday, May 21: Viareggio - Castelnovo ne Monti (185.0 km)

The eleventh stage of the Giro is another tough one. After nearly eighty kilometers, the peloton must climb Alpe San Pellegrio, which, at 14.7 kilometers at 8.7 percent, will certainly cause some anxiety. Towards the final phase, there are also two climbs: Toano (11.2 km at 4.9%) and Pietra di Bismantova (6.5 km at 5.2%).

Favorites
Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)
David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ)
Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech)

Stage 12, Thursday, May 22: Modena - Viadana (172.0 km)

Finally, the sprinters get their chance. The first half of the stage still has some third-category climbs on the program, but the last sixty flat kilometers toward Viadana certainly favor the fast men. Or is there a team that wants to make things interesting?

Favorites
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Casper van Uden (Picnic PostNL)

Stage 13, Friday, May 23: Rovigo - Vicenza (180.0 km)

The thirteenth stage is from Rovigo to Vicenza, located in the east of Italy. Here, the RCS has mapped out a finale that should suit the punchers present, with several tricky hills and a finish on a slope of just over a kilometer at 7.5 percent.

Favorites
Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R)
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious)

Stage 14, Saturday, May 24: Treviso - Nova Gorica (186.0 km)

Primoz Roglic, don't forget your earplugs! On day fourteen, the Giro caravan heads to Slovenia, where we finish in Nova Gorica. The finale will not appeal to Roglic. It is mainly flat in the final phase, except for a few small slopes.

Favorites
Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Milan Fretin (Cofidis)
Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Stage 15, Sunday, May 15: Fiume Veneto - Asiago (214.0 km)

Sunday rides are usually tough in the Giro, which will be no different this time. From Fiume Veneto, the riders will have to conquer Monte Grappa: a 25-kilometer (!) climb at an average of 5.8 percent, quickly followed by the Dori climb of 16.3 kilometers at 5.5 percent. After that last obstacle, it is another thirty kilometers over a plateau to Asiago.

Favorites
Wilco Kelderman (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Filippo Zana (Jayco AlUla)
Jay Vine (UAE Emirates-XRG)

Stage 16, Tuesday, May 27: Piazzola sul Brenta - San Valentino (199.0 km)

We have reached the final week of the Tour of Italy, and you know what to expect: extremely tough mountain stages. On the last Tuesday of the Giro, the RCS has scheduled a 199-kilometer stage over five passes. Fatigue will accumulate on La Fricca, Candriai, and Vigo Cavedine, which will undoubtedly show on Santa Barbara (12.8 kilometers at 8.3 percent) and the final climb to San Valentino (17.5 kilometers at 6.3 percent).

Favorites
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)
Juan Ayuso (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Adam Yates (UAE Emirates-XRG)

Stage 17, Wednesday, May 28: San Michele all'Adige - Bormio (154.0 km)

Bormio! The first seventy (!) kilometers of stage seventeen are uphill, all the way to the top of the Passo Tonale. That is already 15.2 kilometers of climbing at a 6% incline, but after a descent, there is also the infamous Mortirolo, with its 12.6 kilometers at 7.6%. Then it is another fifty kilometers to Bormio, mainly over descending and winding roads.

Favorites
Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Simon Yates (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious)

Stage 18, Thursday, May 29: Morbegno - Cesano Maderno (144.0 km)

The classic transition stage in the final week of the Giro. On paper, it could be something for the sprinters, but in practice, riders are often exhausted, and breakaway riders have the energy to make a final attempt at the stage win. The route, with several climbs along the way, also works in their favor.

Favorites
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek)
Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech)

Stage 19, Friday, May 30: Biella - Champoluc (166.0 km)

This is very similar to the toughest stage of this Giro d'Italia. The road already goes up from the start, but it is mainly about the triple Tzecore (16 kilometers at 7.7 percent), Saint Pantháleon (16.5 kilometers at 7.2 percent) and Joux (15.1 kilometers at 6.9 percent). We then arrive after the Antagnod climb, which at 9.5 kilometers at 4.5 percent can be quite a nuisance at the end of such a stage.

Favorites
Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step)
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)
Juan Ayuso (UAE-Emirates XRG)

Stage 20, Saturday, May 31: Verres - Sestriere (203.0 km)

If the GC in the Giro is not yet finalized, maybe this stage to the well-known ski resort of Sestriere will help. Before getting there, we must conquer one of Europe's most challenging climbs. At 18.5 kilometers and a 9.2% gradient, the Colle delle Finestre is obviously a killer of a mountain where some crazy things have happened in the past. Just think of Chris Froome's comeback in 2018.

Favorites
Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers)
Adam Yates (UAE Emirates-XRG)

Stage 21, Sunday, June 1: Rome - Rome (141.0 km)

The closing act of the Giro d'Italia takes place in Rome, where the remaining sprinters get another chance at a prize. After 141 kilometers in and around the Italian capital, the 2025 Tour of Italy ends.

Favorites
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Milan Fretin (Cofidis)
Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike)

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