2019 Tour of the Alps route unveiled in Milan

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The 2019 Tour of the Alps route(Image credit: Tour of the Alps)

The 2019 Tour of the Alps will offer a typically rigorous warm-up ahead of the Giro d’Italia, with almost 14,000 metres of total climbing to feature across its five stages. At the route presentation in Milan on Wednesday, it was confirmed that the race will start in Kufstein, Austria on April 22 and finish in Bolzano, Italy on April 26.

While the race’s position on the calendar makes it a natural preamble to the Giro, the organisation noted that the Tour of the Alps is not “merely […] a key dress rehearsal ahead of the Giro d’Italia, but looks to affirm its vision on how cycling races should be from a technical point of view.” In particular, the organisation has pointed to its preference for reduced stage distances and avoidance of extreme altitudes.

Stage 2 is perhaps the most demanding of the race and has been given a five-star difficulty rating by the race organisers. The 178.8km stage from Reith im Alpbachtal across the Italian border to Schenna includes the climb of the Tulfes and the mighty Passo Giovo, which tops out at an altitude of 2,094m. The Passo Giovo (15.1km at an average gradient of 7.5 per cent) is followed by a long and fast descent, before a stinging 5km haul to the finish line at Schenna.

At just 106.3km, Stage 3 from Salurn to Baselgo di Pinè is the shortest of the race but it may also prove to be the most explosive. After an intermediate sprint at Palù di Giovo – home of Giro winners Gilberto Simoni and Francesco Moser – the race tackles the climbs of Brusago and Lago di Santa Colomba. In the finale, the gruppo will take on the ascent of Montagnaga, before the road flattens out slightly ahead of the finish in Baselga di Pinè.

Previously run as the Giro del Trentino, the Tour of the Alps took on its current, cross-border format in 2017, when Geraint Thomas was the overall winner. Throughout its history, the race has been a reliable indicator of pre-Giro form and the recent roll of honour is an impressive won. Recent winners include Vincenzo Nibali (2008 and 2013), the late Michele Scarponi (2011), Cadel Evans (2014), Richie Porte (2015) and Mikel Landa (2016).