After a well-deserved rest day, the third week of racing of the Giro d'Italia opens up with another tough day in the saddle, with a short but difficult stage unfolding entirely in the Swiss Canton of Ticino, absent from the Corsa Rosa since 2015.
The stage culminates in a cat. 1 climb to Carì. Though new to the Giro, this ascent appeared a couple of times in the Tour de Suisse, with victories taken by two pure climbers: Darwin Atapuma (2016) and Adam Yates (2024).
Piling on more misery on the peloton, already facing 3000 metres of elevation gain on the 116km route, are the forecast for temperatures close to 30°C.
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) has won all three summit finishes so far at the Giro and he and his team are calm, collected and in total control, so he is definitely a favourite to claim another stage victory.
Behind him, the battle for the remaining overall podium spots will rage, with less than three minutes separating second and seventh on GC.
A nervous peloton may not have the time to enjoy the start in Bellinzona - a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its medieval defensive system, with the Castelgrande, Montebello and Sasso Corbaro castles - but the fans will.
Heading northwards, the route gradually rises to Roccabella for a double circuit of 22 kilometres, featuring the climbs of cat. 3 Torre and the more demanding cat. 2 Leontica. At 3 kilometres long, the latter ascent has an average gradient of 8.5% with steeper pitches of 14% in the first 500 metres of the climb.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
After the double-loop saps their legs, the riders will then head into the Gotthard valley, continuing to climb steadily towards Faido for the Red Bull Kilometre and its associated time bonus seconds before the final ascent to Carì.
The final 11.7 kilometres are all uphill with an average gradient of 7.9%, interrupted only by a very short false flat at Campello after 8km of climbing before hitting the steeper pitches with maximum gradients reaching 13% within the final kilometre.
Start time: 13:45 CET
Finish time: 17:14 CET
Mountains
Torre (cat. 3), km. 32.2
Leontica (cat. 2, 3km at 8.5%, max. 14%), km. 43.5
Torre (cat. 3), km. 54.2
Leontica (cat. 2, 3km at 8.5%, max. 14%), km. 65.5
Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
