Mikel Landa shared his thoughts on the route of the Italian race, which comes with more than a dozen mountain stages.
As was announced a couple of weeks ago, the first Grand Tour of the season will start from Albania, where the peloton will spend a total of three stages before they cross the Adriatic Sea for the first stage on Italian soil of this 108th edition, which will take place in the region of.
One of the major challenges of this year’s race will be the white roads of Tuscany, which many riders know so well from Strade Bianche, one of the most spectacular races of the calendar. After a total of 30 kilometers of sterrati, the riders will finish in Siena, the charming city that flourished during the Middle Ages, when it reached the height of its splendour. The next week will start with a hard individual time trial between Lucca and Pisa and continue with the climbs of San Pellegrino in Alpe and Asiago
Week three brings some of the hardest climbs of the Corsa Rosa, huge hurdles whose steep gradients are sure to open some important gaps between the pink jersey and general classification contenders. A gruelling mountain stage in Trentino, Passo del Tonale, Passo del Mortirolo, Col de Saint-Pantaléon, and the epic Colle delle Finestre before a finish in Sestriere on the penultimate stage – all these come with the promise of major fireworks.
For the fourth time in the last ten years, Rome – where Soudal Quick-Step’s Tim Merlier powered to a superb stage victory, his third of the 2024 edition – will host the final day of the Giro d’Italia, on June 1, giving the sprinters their sixth opportunity of the race.
“The last week will be the most difficult one, crucial for the general classification, but this doesn’t come as a surprise, as this is the Giro. The high mountains, especially Finestre which I like, and the weather should have a major impact on how the overall standings will look in Rome, but also the first part of the race – with some tricky roads, the white roads of Tuscany, two time trials and many other hurdles – will make for a hard race, which means you have to be focused and ready from day one”, said Mikel Landa, who will lead Soudal Quick-Step at the Corsa Rosa.
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