The Corsa Rosa is set to take place this year in October (running from October 3-25) for the very first time. After a period of strict lockdown, the Giro d’Italia returns to ‘offer fans a message of hope and renewal from Italy to the world.’
Three individual time trials, with a total distance of 64.7km, six stages suitable for sprinters, six of medium difficulty and six high difficulty stages are the headline course characteristics of the 103rd edition of the Giro.
There will be seven uphill finishes. Stage 21, an Individual Time Trial, runs from Cernusco sul Naviglio to Milan, which will host the final stage of the Corsa Rosa for the 78th time.
The Cima Coppi (highest peak) will be atop the 2,758m Stelvio. This edition’s Wine Stage will be the Individual Time Trial of the Prosecco Superiore from Conegliano to Valdobbiadene – an area that has been part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019.
For the first time in the history of the Corsa Rosa, a stage will start inside a military base, from Rivolto, home of the 2° Stormo dell’Aeronautica Militare (2nd Wing of the Italian Air Force). Stage 11 finishing in Rimini, meanwhile, will commemorate the great movie director Federico Fellini on the centenary of his birth.
This year’s edition will feature the 9th ever Grande Partenza from Sicily, with a 15km individual time trial from Monreale to Palermo followed by three more stages on the island and one in Calabria before arriving in Matera. The race will then head to Puglia.
The Abruzzo region will host an uphill finish in Roccaraso, with riders tackling the Apennine mountains (starting from San Salvo) – a stage providing more than 4,000m of elevation gain. The final two weeks of the Giro remain unchanged from its original schedule except for the start of Stage 10, which begins in Lanciano.
The Giro-E, the Corsa Rosa’s e-biking experience, will take place over 20 stages, excluding the Monreale-Palermo ITT, and will cover the final parts of each stage before arriving in Milan like the pros.
The Giro ends on Sunday 25 October with the individual time trial from Cernusco sul Naviglio, 2020 European City of Sport, to Milan, in Piazza Duomo under the Madonnina. It’s a flat 15.7km ITT to close the event’s 103rd edition.
