2025 Giro d'Italia stage 6 preview - A chance for the breakaway in Napoli
May 15, 2025: Potenza-Napoli, 227km

The Giro d'Italia has already offered us a stunning five days of racing, with Mads Pedersen ruling the Grande Partenza in Albania before claiming the stage 5 win in Matera. Stage 6, though, gives us the first helping of what we might consider a true Italian mountain on the race route.
Stage 6 is long at 226km and is hilly early on before a late climb overlooking the Bay of Naples. The stage begins in Potenza in the Basilicata and heads northwest, taking on two KOMs on the route before unleashing sprinters for the finish in Naples.
The first KOM hits at kilometre 40 and is a long, 19.9km climb to Valco di Monte Carruozzo, with gradients that reach 11%. There is a rolling 50km to the second KOM, a manageable category 3 climb at Monteforte Irpino, with the path to Naples going north of Mount Vesuvius.
With the climbing hitting in the first part of the route, we will expect a real battle between the breakaway and the sprint teams, and little chance of a real fight among the general classification contenders considering the flat 70km into the finish.
We'd back the sprint teams to reel in escapees, but we'll be keeping our eye on the real puncheurs from the start list to see if they find their way into the day's breakaway. If luck is on their side, Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) or a breakaway specialist like Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché - Wanty) could well upset Pedersen's dominance.
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our 2025 Giro d'Italia coverage. Our team on the ground will bring you all the breaking news, reports, analysis and more from every stage of the Italian Grand Tour. Find out more.
Climbs
- Valico di Monte Carruozzo (cat. 2) km. 56.8 (19.9km avg 3.8%, max 11%)
- Monteforte Irpino (cat. 3) km. 145.1
Sprints
- Sprint 1 - Muro Lucano, km. 42.5
- Sprint 2 - Loni, km. 88.4
- Time bonus sprint - Brusciano, km. 174.6
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.
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.
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
'Good for morale' - Julian Alaphilippe shows a flash of his former brilliance on Tour de France hilly finish
Tudor rider fifth in Boulogne-sur-Mer after suffering from pre-Tour illness -
'I've struggled the last few years' – New approach and Classics-style racing see Mathieu van der Poel back in Tour de France yellow jersey
Dutchman wins first stage for four years in Boulogne-sur-Mer ahead of Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard -
Is it April or July? - The opening weekend of the Tour de France offers two days of Classic racing - Analysis
'If you think today was bad, wait until you see stage 4,' warns Jayco-AlUla DS Matthew Hayman -
'Taken out of proportion' – Visma-Lease a Bike downplay tension with Jonas Vingegaard at Tour de France amid wife's public criticism
Head of Racing Grischa Niermann responds directly to Trine Marie Hansen's comments on altitude camps and time away from family