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Giro d'Italia 2025Preview stage 3: Last day in Albania with a tough finale

Thomas Goldmann

 · 11.05.2025

Elevation profile of the 3rd stage
Photo: RCS Sport
From 9 May to 1 June, the Giro d'Italia 2025 is on the pro riders' calendar. The 21 stages of the 108th edition will take the riders from Durrës in Albania to Rome. This is the 3rd stage.
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The most important information about stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia 2025

Route of the 3rd stage of the Tour of Italy 2025

Elevation profile of the 3rd stagePhoto: RCS SportElevation profile of the 3rd stage

The third stage of the Giro d'Italia 2025 takes the riders on a challenging ride around the Albanian coastal town of Vlora. With a length of 160 kilometres and 2800 metres in altitude, a challenging route awaits the peloton with both mountainous and flat sections. The route first leads around the Maja Qores mountain, which is over 2000 metres above sea level. From there, the riders head south-east through the valley of the river Lumi Shushicës. They then reach the coast on wide roads via the Qafa Shakellës Pass. This is followed by a coastal section over 40 kilometres long with numerous bends and undulating terrain. The decisive difficulty of the day awaits with the Qafa e Llogarasë Pass.

The Qafa e Llogarasë climb on stage 3Photo: RCS SportThe Qafa e Llogarasë climb on stage 3

This stretches for around 11 kilometres with an average gradient of over 7 percent. After a fast descent, the route leads back to Vlora. The last three kilometres run along the coast and are mostly flat. The finishing straight is 1200 metres long and runs along an 8 metre wide road.

The 3rd stage on the mapPhoto: RCS SportThe 3rd stage on the map

Sporting assessment of stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia 2025

Climbing skills are in demand on stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia 2025Photo: Getty Images/Dario BelingheriClimbing skills are in demand on stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia 2025

The profile of the third stage offers an interesting mix of flat and mountainous sections. The long coastal section in the middle of the stage could cause unrest in the peloton if the wind conditions are favourable. The climb to the Qafa e Llogarasë pass is likely to be decisive for the course of the race. With a length of 11 kilometres and a gradient of over 7 percent, it is long and steep enough to cause a selection in the peloton. The classification riders will have to be vigilant here and parry possible attacks from the competition. At the same time, the climb offers a platform for breakaway attempts. If a breakaway group builds up a sufficient lead up to the summit, it could well have a chance of winning the stage.

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However, the fast descent and the flat finale also favour a merging of the peloton. Sprinters who are strong on the climbs could also have a chance of winning the day, provided they survive the climb in contact with the peloton. The flat finale with the long finishing straight favours them. Ultimately, it will depend on how hard the teams of the classification riders race on the climb and whether a strong breakaway group can form. This third stage should already provide the first indications for the overall standings of the Giro d'Italia 2025. Although the time gaps are probably not yet large, it will show who is in good form and who may be showing weaknesses.

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