Giro d'Italia 2022 - Stage 13 preview

Stage 13: Sanremo to Cunea

Date: May 20, 2022

Distance: 150km 

Race times: 13:20-17:15 (CEST)

Stage type: Flat

After only a week on the Italian mainland, the race has covered the distance from the far south of the country to the north-western corner. Just as stage 12 ended on the Ligurian coast, so stage 13 begins there in Sanremo to be precise – usually better known for its significance as the final destination for the first Monument of the year, Milano-Sanremo. 

The route replicates part of the altered 2020 Milano-Sanremo course, albeit vastly shorter in distance at 150km. The day will feel relatively short for the peloton following the two longest stages of the Giro so far.

There’s only one categorised climb for the riders, the Colle di Nava. Rated a cat 3, it may not sound too daunting on paper, but at a distance of 9.1km at 6.8 per cent in average gradient, it will certainly provide pause for thought for some of the sprinters who will likely be eyeing up the stage as another opportunity for victory. 

Thankfully for any sprinter with designs on a bunch finish, if they can hang on over the climb, they have almost 100km to make up any deficit. That being said, the breakaway composition will be an interesting prospect – given how early the climb comes in the stage, it might still be a work in progress. This could mean that a motivated group could get away on the climb and if they work well together, there’s a chance they might make it stick.

Sixty kilometres or so of gradual descending then lead into a short kicker at San Michele di Mondovì, which also plays host to an intermediate sprint. The final 27km is a false flat into Cuneo. The small town is the capital of the Grande province which sits in the Piedmont region, the ninth unique region the race has visited along its distance.