Giro d’Italia 2020 – La Corsa Rosa

Founded in 1909 by La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Giro d’Italia takes place every year in May and makes cycling fans’ hearts beat faster for three weeks. In the pandemic-stricken year 2020, the 103rd edition will take place from 3 to 25 October. It will start in Monreale in Sicily and finish with a final sprint in Milan. Originally, the start was planned in Budapest with several stages on Hungarian soil, but that has been canceled for obvious reasons – instead, the route briefly heads into the French Alps at the end.

The racing calendar has been turned upside down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tours that normally anchor the first half of the year are now being held in autumn – including the Giro d’Italia 2020. The great Tour of Italy is a fixture, so the organizer did everything possible to ensure the prestigious race could go ahead. At first, there were heated discussions about shortening the Giro, pushed initially by the organizers of the Tour and the Vuelta. They themselves then had to adjust the Vuelta a España, reducing it to 18 stages. Still, the Giro and Vuelta overlap. After the calendar was reset and moved into August, the Grand Tours are now packed tightly together:

• Tour de France 29.8 – 20.9.2020
• Giro d’Italia 3.10 – 25.10.2020
• Vuelta a España 20.10 – 08.11.2020

In addition, teams face national championships, meaning riders must travel extensively in a short time and deliver a lot of top-level performance. Tactical and organizational masterstrokes will be required! That’s why since mid-September the starting teams are known, but no squad has announced its individual riders. Nobody knows for sure who, after the Tour, will still be physically and mentally ready to get back in the saddle – after three climbing-heavy weeks, some will first have to lick their wounds – sore legs or bruised egos.

For the Giro, it’s an advantage that the Tour has already taken place – because safety measures around the pandemic have already been tested. For example, the ‘bubble principle’ worked very well. Teams were allowed to move only within their team circles to prevent any spread. This also included regular testing of everyone involved – around 650 people. In total, just four infections across all teams in three weeks, plus Tour director Prudhomme’s case, is very low. The four team members went home, and Prudhomme was substituted during his 8-day quarantine.

A major sticking point remains spectators’ behavior on the roadside. Even at the World Championships in Imola, we unfortunately saw many fans standing close together and in some cases without masks celebrating their idols. Here the Giro d’Italia organizers can set a good example and try to exert more influence on cycling fans.

The winner’s name is engraved on the trophy – the Trofeo Senza Fine – alongside a host of cycling legends. We therefore expect a thrilling battle on the usual demanding, very climbing-heavy course of this year’s Giro d’Italia.

The route – across Italy in 21 days

There’s a ‘full’ Giro this year as well – no compromises! The route is mountainous and hilly. Even though there are some very flat stages, climbers and anyone who thrives uphill should have the advantage. Despite the demanding stages, the overall course is balanced. We’re in for three exciting weeks of racing!

The route in numbers

• approx. 3,497 km across 21 stages
• 5 flat stages
• 7 hilly stages
• 6 mountain stages
• 3 individual time trials
• 6 summit finishes
• 13 Category 1 climbs; including the Cima Coppi
• 9 Category 2 climbs
• Longest stage: Stage 19, 251 km from Morbegno to Asti
• Shortest stage: Stage 1, 15 km from Monreale to Palermo
• Highest point: Stelvio Pass 2,758 m (Cima Coppi)
• 2 rest days
  
  

The most exciting stages – what you shouldn’t miss!

The Giro d’Italia 2020 opens with an individual time trial on Stage 1. At just 15 km it is also the shortest stage of this year’s Giro. La Grande Partenza is in Monreale at 250 m elevation. A 5.5% gradient over the first 1.1 km climbs to the Monreale Cathedral with several bends and curves. Then it drops back into town, almost arrow-straight. Only a tight, sharp S-bend interrupts this section – expect fast descents! In Palermo itself, the course also runs fairly straight with a few right-angle turns. The finish comes after a long sprint along Via della Libertà. A fast start to the Giro!

Stage 3 gets serious right away! Starting in Enna, Sicily, it heads up to Etna. The 150 km route crosses the Monti Erei. The rolling course alternates between straight and twisty. The climbs vary, sometimes steeper, sometimes less so. The most exciting part begins with the assault on Etna. The first significant King of the Mountains points – Category 1 – are on offer here. Before that, there are two intermediate sprints for valuable points. The last sprint lies just past Linguaglossa and overlaps with the volcano ascent. The steep ramp hits almost 11% at its sharpest. Numerous consecutive hairpins make the approach even tougher. Such a test so early in a Grand Tour immediately probes riders’ fitness.

Stage 5 takes place on the mainland, in Calabria. The entire route is a rollercoaster. Key points for the Maglia Ciclamino appear at sprint points shortly after Catanzaro Lido and Cosenza. They also bracket two Category 3 climbs at Catanzaro and Tirilo. After the final sprint, the road heads straight up to Valico di Mo – Category 1. With an average gradient of 5.6% it looks moderate, but at its steepest in Spezzano della Sila it hits nearly 18%! The finish lies slightly below, so we can expect a punchy stage finish. In general the profile is very hilly, full of curves and at times rough road surfaces – constant focus required!

By Stage 9 the peloton has worked its way up into the Abruzzo and faces a section along the Adriatic. Before the finish inland, nearly 4,000 vertical meters are covered! The route starts without major gradients, but remains twisty. It climbs to Guardiagrele with a first sprint point. After a short descent comes the first major climb, Passo Lanciano (Cat. 1) over 12 km. The descent is just as steep. Then three stinging climbs lead up to Roccaraso. Gradients vary between 5.7% and 12%.

Up and down, up and down – and no time to catch a breath – that’s Stage 12 of the 2020 Giro! Only the start and finish are relatively flat. The circuit starts and ends in Cesenatico. The climbs are mostly moderate (Categories 3 and 4). Still, the constant alternation makes it hard, with occasional double-digit gradients on narrow roads. And the road surface… has seen better days. Adding sprint sections for points won’t exactly delight already taxed riders.

Amid the picturesque Prosecco vineyards of Veneto there’s another individual time trial over 34.1 km. Stage 14 starts with a 19% ramp at kilometer 6.3. Then the route snakes through vineyards on narrow roads down to the finish in Valdobbiadene. Will the stage winner toast with a glass?

From Stage 15 on, it gets steadily hillier and more mountainous. And Stage 17 turns the screw again. In total, three climbs are Category 1 – a full-fledged mountain stage! The long serpentine section around Monte Bondone demands great technical and tactical skill. Naturally, a Cat. 1 KOM is placed here. Steep ramps are followed by steep descents with little chance to recover.

If the climbers are still hungry for altitude, they get a final chance to shine: 5,400 m of vertical on colossal mountains. The legendary Cima Coppi at the Stelvio (peak at 2,758 m) awaits. Stage 18 runs in Trentino through the magnificent Dolomites. Forst marks the lowest point; from there begins the grueling ascent to the hardest, yet most points-rich summit of the Giro. The South Tyrolean mountains will again test who still has fuel in the tank. The battle for the Maglia Azzurra will be shaken up.

The final mountain stage partly traverses the French Alps, not far from the Tour de France venues Gap and Grenoble seven weeks earlier. Stage 20 offers a nearly 105 km sequence of climbing up to the summit of the Colle dell’Agnello (2,744 m, Cat. 1) – endurance required! Then it’s a zigzag of ups and downs – over the Col d’Izoard (2,360 m, Cat. 1), down into Briançon (1,327 m), back up to 1,854 m at the Col de Montgenèvre (Cat. 2). One last steep descent and the summit finish in Sestriere awaits. Despite all the up and down, it rides surprisingly well. Another highlight on the 2020 Giro route!

And now the final finish sprint in the form of one more individual time trial! Stage 21 is flatter than any other part of the course. Over nearly 16 km it charges into beautiful Milan. A perfect chance for the fast men to go all-in.

The teams

The Giro has always prided itself on being contested by top teams with top riders. But because the Grand Tours all start late this year, tactics now really come into play. Even in a normal season, only a few riders attempt both the hugely popular Tour de France and the particularly demanding Giro d’Italia. This year separates the wheat from the chaff even more: anyone wanting to ride both must complete 42 stages in 56 days! Only the elite can manage that! That doesn’t mean the race will suffer in quality. It makes the 2020 Giro d’Italia even more exciting – and a great chance for young pros to make a name for themselves.

The participating teams of the Giro d’Italia 2020:

Who’s in – the guessing game among big and small teams