Originally, the route of the 2024 women's Giro d'Italia was to be presented together with the men's route in mid-October. However, the public was given only to see the trophy that RCS received for its new race. - in recent years, PMG Sport/Starlight took over the organisation. However, it is now clear which route the successor to Annemiek van Vleuten, who has won the race in the last two years, will have to take in order to claim the pink jersey in the end.
Giro d'Italia Women 2024: The most important facts
- 7 to 14 July 2024
- 8 stages
- 876.7 kilometres
- 11,950 metres in altitude
- Log cabin stage as a highlight
- The favourites
- TV broadcast & live stream
The 2024 Women's Giro d'Italia begins on 7 July with an individual time trial in Brescia and will be held in parallel with the Tour de France The men's race, which is the focus of cycling interest, will end in L'Aquila with a small mountain finish. In between, however, completely different challenges await the women, who now only have eight stages to tackle after ten stages up to 2022 and nine last year.
Giro d'Italia Women 2024 - the route at a glance
However, next year's Giro will not be significantly shorter than 2023, even if it will be one day shorter. 876.7 kilometres are planned for 2024. Twelve kilometres, which is only slightly more than last year. This will only make the tour more intense. Because there hasn't been a real mountain finish recently. There will even be two in 2024. And there will be three more sections with uphill kilometres in the finale. This means a total of 11,950 metres of altitude difference.
Stage 1 | Sunday, 7 July 2024 | Brescia - Brescia | 15.7 kilometres (individual time trial) | 100 metres elevation gain
Firstly, a battle against the clock will sort out the classification of the 2024 Giro d'Italia women's race. It's been like this for years. Previously as a team time trial, now individually. However, in the last two years, when each rider rode individually, the opening stage was significantly shorter. Through Brescia on the southern edge of the Alps, 15.7 kilometres await the women.
The route is largely flat. There is only a small climb to the town's castle in the last third of the course. An intermediate time is also taken. Otherwise, wet conditions in the bends at the end of the course could cause problems.
Stage 2 | Monday, 8 July 2024 | Sirmione - Volta Mantovana | 110 kilometres | 450 vertical metres
Not far from Brescia, stage 2 begins in Sirmione on the shores of Lake Garda. It is one of only two sections of the tour where a bunch sprint is likely. The 110 kilometres to Volta Mantovana, which is barely 20 kilometres from the start as the crow flies, are almost completely flat.
The last part of the race is held on a 22-kilometre lap, which is ridden one and a half times. There are also a few very shallow waves, but these should not normally be an obstacle to a sprint.
Stage 3 | Tuesday, 9 July | Sabbioneta - Toano | 113 kilometres | 1100 vertical metres
A little further south, stage 3 begins in Sabbioneta. Passing Parma, Reggio Emilia and Modena, the route winds its way into the foothills of the Apennines. The first 100 kilometres are still relatively flat.
It only really starts to climb from Ponte Secchia onwards - but then for the rest of the day of the 113-kilometre stage. The finish in Toano is at 894 metres, the final climb scratches the average gradient of five percent. It is also the first mountain classification of the tour.
Stage 4 | Wednesday, 10 July | Imola - Urbino | 134 kilometres | 1500 vertical metres
Stage 4, starting in Imola, which is reached after a short transfer from the previous day's finish, has a similar structure to its predecessor. The first half is almost all straight ahead, even on the flat. Then San Marino is reached. Shortly before the borders of the small state, the route climbs uphill.
A constant up and down develops with a total of three mountain classifications. The last of these is at the finish line in Urbino. With the exception of a short, approximately one and a half kilometre long descent shortly before the finish, the last 14 kilometres are all uphill.
Stage 5 | Thursday, 11 July | Frontone - Foligno | 108 kilometres | 700 vertical metres
Although the Apennines are crossed completely from north-east to south-west on stage 5 between Frontone and Foligno, there are hardly any climbs worth mentioning apart from an early mountain classification in Morello after 15 kilometres.
The last 25 kilometres of the day are mainly downhill, so a bunch sprint is also possible here and ultimately likely, unless a few breakaway riders have other plans. In any case, the stage is unlikely to have any influence on the overall classification. However, it will be the last of this tour.
Stage 6 | Friday, 12 July | San Bendetto del Tronto - Chieti | 159 kilometres | 2000 vertical metres
At the start of the 6th stage, the bunch moves from the centre of the country to the Adriatic coast to San Bendetto del Tronto. However, the route to Chieti quickly leads away from the water again, so the whole day is up and down. More than ten climbs, of which only three are categorised, are spread over the 159 kilometres.
Shortly before Chieti, it gets really steep again. Double-digit gradients await on the way to the centre of the city, where the stage comes to an end. However, shortly before the finish line, there is a slight descent. If you don't go full throttle over the crest, you can easily lose seconds.
Stage 7 | Saturday, 13 July | Lanciano - Blockhaus | 120 kilometres | 3600 vertical metres
The question, however, is whether they will still play a role a day later or whether it's better to take it easy for the queen stage of the 2024 Giro d'Italia for women. The penultimate stage of the tour will take the peloton from Lanciano over the Passo Lanciano twice - and then a little further up to the Blockhaus.
Right at the start of the 120-kilometre day, there are many small climbs that leave no room to breathe. Then it's on to Manoppello. There you reach the foot of the first ascent to Passo Lanciano. The pass is 1310 metres above sea level. Then it's back down to Manoppello. And then up again. But on a different road.
But once you reach the top of the pass for the second time, it's far from over. Because from there, there are another 370 metres in altitude that have to be covered over six kilometres before the summit is reached. Whoever reaches the finish line first is presumably the new woman in pink.
Stage 8 | Sunday, 14 July | Pescara - L'Aquila | 117 kilometres | 2500 vertical metres
However, this does not automatically mean that she is Annemiek van Vleuten's successor, as the final stage of the 2024 women's Giro d'Italia from Pescara on the Adriatic to l'Aquila is also a tough one.
The first 45 kilometres lead past Chieti inland and are almost entirely uphill until the Forca di Penne. A short intermediate descent - and then it's another 13 kilometres uphill to Castel del Monte - a 1st category climb.
After a section of ups and downs in the municipality of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, there is a 16-kilometre descent followed by a relatively flat section. However, the finish is not yet reached. Before the mountain finish in L'Aquila, another short, steep climb awaits in Acquasanta, which will challenge tired legs one last time before the final finish line of the 2024 Giro d'Italia for women is reached.
