MILAN – Next year’s Giro d’Italia will feature seven highly sprint-friendly stages, race organizers have announced.
Breaking with tradition, race organizer RCS Sport has decided to release next year’s race details in installments. Last week it was announced that the 105th edition of the Giro would start in Hungary – as it was planned to do last year before the coronavirus pandemic.
Two of the three stages in Hungary are suitable for sprinters, although the hilly 195-kilometre first stage includes an uphill finish.
“It’s a Giro full of great opportunities for the sprinters. Maybe the arrival of the first stage is more favorable for a finisher or a sprinter who can climb well,” revealed sprint specialist Elia Viviani, who won four of his five stage victories at the Giro in 2018. , when he also won the points classification.
“I would like to be able to fight again to win the Maglia Ciclamino (the leader in the points classification) and try to win some stages… There is certainly the possibility of repeating my performance at the Giro 2018.”
RCS Sports unveiled five additional stages suitable for sprinters on Monday, although he won’t confirm precisely when those stages will take place until the route is described in full on Thursday.
The hilly stages will be revealed on Tuesday and the high mountain stages on Wednesday.
The sprint stages include one in Sicily, from Catania to Messina, and two which are the longest of next year’s Giro. The 201 kilometer stage along Lake Balaton from Kaposvar to Balatonfüred which is the last stage in Hungary, and another of the same distance which is completely flat from Santarcangelo di Romagna to Reggio Emilia.
The last stage for the sprinters is a short and fast 146 kilometer from Borgo Valsugana to Treviso which includes two category 4 climbs and also crosses the Prosecco production area between Valdobbiadene and Refrontolo.
The Giro will take place from May 6 to 29.
