When the pink caravan lands on the Puglian coast after three intense days in Albania, the 2025 Giro d’Italia will already be in full swing. The Grande Partenza offers little comfort to the sprinters, who are unlikely to dream of wearing the Maglia Rosa early on and will have to wait until the race returns to Italy to begin seizing their opportunities.
The wait, though, will be well worth it. The first three fractions on Italian soil are tailor-made for sprinters. The first one (Stage 4), the Alberobello – Lecce, spans 187 km and, aside from a minor 4th-category KOM of Putignano early on, is a flat affair. A bunch sprint seems almost inevitable here, promising the first big showdown among the fast wheels.
Stage 5, the 145 km Ceglie Messapica – Matera, is a shorter fraction characterized by a more technical, undulating finale that could strain some riders’ legs before the finish. The sixth stage, a 210 km ride from Potenza to Naples, looks set for another bunch sprint.
Despite some mid-stage climbs, the flat run-in to the iconic Via Caracciolo on Naples’ waterfront offers a picturesque and thrilling finish for the sprinters.
The dynamics shift on Stage 7, as climbing specialists take the spotlight in the Castel di Sangro to Tagliacozzo stage, stretching 168 km. The route includes climbs up Roccaraso (3rd category), Monte Urano (2nd category), and Vado della Forcella (2nd category), but the decisive moment will likely come on the first-category summit finish in Tagliacozzo.
The final 12.6 km ascent averages a manageable 5.4%, though the last 2.5 km ramp up sharply, with gradients consistently above 8%. Stage 8, from Giulianova to Castelraimondo, covering 197 km, is primed for breakaway specialists.
It features the formidable Valico di Santa Maria Maddalena (1st category, 13.1 km at 7.4%), Montelago (3rd category, 5.5 km at 7%), and sharp ramps like Castel Santa Maria and Gagliole (4th category), all packed into the latter half of the race.
The riders will have to earn the second rest day, as the peloton faces one of the most unique and challenging stages of the Giro: the gravel and dust of Tuscany’s strade bianche. The Gubbio – Siena fraction, covering 181 km, borrows heavily from the iconic Strade Bianche spring classic.
The final 70 km include 29.5 km of gravel roads, divided across sectors like the 8 km stretch at Pieve a Salti, the new 9.3 km Monteroni d’Arbia, and the punishing 9.3 km San Martino in Grania sector, featuring 5.6 km of climbing with pitches up to 12%.
The shorter Monteaperti sector (600 meters, with a 13% gradient) and Colle Pinzuto (2.5 km, with a brutal 15% pitch) will test the legs just 14 km before the finish. The stage concludes with a dramatic entry into Siena, featuring the brutal climb of Via Santa Caterina before the iconic finish in Piazza del Campo. It will be a Sunday to remember!
