Route map for stage 21 at 2022 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: RCS Sport)
Stage 21: Verona to Verona
Date: May 29, 2022
Distance: 17.4km
Race times: 13:55-17:15 (CEST)
Stage type: ITT
For the fourth year in a row, the Giro d’Italia will finish with an individual time trial, for the second time taking place around the historic cultural centre of Verona, once home to many great artists and to Shakespeare himself, who set a number of his plays in the city.
Whether the final stage of the Giro will see any drama will depend in part on the overall standings. For the time trial specialists, the main frustration of the day will be the brevity of the course. If time gaps are still tight at the end of the fight for the maglia rosa, 17.4km may not be enough for them to make a difference. For the fans watching at home, if the time gaps are beyond a doubt, it may lack excitement, as the short distance will not be great enough to see a shake-up in the standings.
The route is a copy of the one used in 2019, and works its way around the city, including some technical turns and a short pavé sector after the route crosses the river. The profile offers a pleasing symmetry, with flat sections at the beginning and end and a category four climb on the Via Torricelle (4.5 kilometres at 4.6 per cent) in the centre, ensuring that the short time trial isn’t entirely straightforward. The day, and the race, will culminate in the Roman amphitheatre in Verona’s centre, a truly grand setting to conclude la corsa rosa.
In 2019, Chad Haga beat Victor Campenaerts and Thomas De Gendt for the stage win with a time of 22:07, while Richard Carapaz cemented the overall win. Ineos Grenadiers will hope that history will repeat itself, but in terms of the stage, Jumbo-Visma will be the favourites, and will hope to seal victory with one of their collection of strong time triallists, including Tom Dumoulin, Edoardo Affini and Tobias Foss. If the GC battle is still on, João Almeida (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) and Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) are both strong against the clock and may be able to claw back a few precious seconds in their quest to finish on the top step of the podium, wearing the maglia rosa as the winner of the 2022 Giro d’Italia.
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Katy is a freelance writer and journalist. She has published interviews, features, and previews in Cycling News, Rouleur, Cyclist Magazine and the British Continental. She also writes opinion pieces on her own website writebikerepeat.com and is a frequent contributor to the Quicklink podcast.
She is obsessed with the narrative element of bike racing, from the bigger picture to the individual stories. She is a cyclocross nut who is 5% Belgian and wonders if this entitles her to citizenship. Her favourite races are Ronde van Vlaanderen and La Vuelta.
In her spare time Katy is a published short fiction and non-fiction author.
