Tour of the Alps 2022 route

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The 2022 Tour of the Alps will cover 726.5 kilometres and 13,900 metres of elevation gain on the five-day journey from Cles in Italy to Lienz in Austria, April 18 to 22.

The opening stage of the 2022 Tour of the Alps is the longest at 160.9km, with distances kept short to inspire aggressive racing and allow riders to recover between stages. Four stages finish and then start in the same place to reduce transfers and offset race emissions.

After hosting the finale in the last edition of the race, Trentino is back to welcome the Tour of the Alps’ peloton for the grand start in Cles. The teams presentation will take place on Sunday, April 17, with stage 1 commencing Monday from Cles, nestled in the Val di Non. The entire stage of 160.9 kilometres will take place in the Trentino region, with a first-time finish in Primiero/San Martino di Castrozza. 

Stage 2 from San Martino di Castrozza wastes no time in testing the uphill grind as the peloton encounters this year's highest peak, the Passo Rolle at just under 2,000 metres, in the opening 22 kilometres of the 1541km route to Lana. 

Stage 3 is the queen stage and the second consecutive day in South Tyrol, with 154.6 kilometres and 3,050 metres of climbing on the menu, from Lana to Niederdorf/Villabassa. A pair of categorised climbs will test the legs as they hit back-to-back in the final segment of the race, the category 1 Passo Furcia, cresting on the 7.9km steep side, with 23.5km to the line. The final four kilometres offer up 10 per cent gradients for a bite to the end.

The fourth stage heads into Austria with 142km and a good deal of descending, beginning with almost 20km of downhill to the base of the first of two categorised climbs - Kartitscher Sattel and Gailberg Sattel. After a pass through the Gail river valley and the second KOM, a long, flat stretch leads to the uncategorised, 12.5km-ascent to Kals am Großglockner for the final showdown of the day.

The fifth and final day bring riders to Lienz for 114.5km of racing with out-and-back sections near the city. The final stage is short but ascends the Bannberg twice, and the steep Stronach climb ends just 10km from the finish in Lienz. Of the four peaks to be climbed, only two are categorised, and they all lead to an abrupt uphill finish across 1,400 metres with pitches up to 10 percent to the Lienz Zettersfeldbahn cableway station.

Read more about the teams competing in the 45th edition of the race