The sports festival in Trento, which takes place from 12 to 15 October, is organised by the Gazzetta dello Sport. The major Italian sports newspaper also launched the Giro d'Italia in 1909, which is now one of the biggest tours in the world alongside the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana. Record winners of the Giro d'Italia are Alfredo Binda, Fausto Coppi and Eddy Merckx with five titles each.
Route of the Giro d'Italia 2024 known so far & rumours
The rumour mill has been churning for some time about the route of the 2024 Tour of Italy. Even before the presentation of the complete route in mid-October, the first information is leaking out and the first three stages have already been presented.
Start of the tour in Piedmont
Stage 1: Venaria Reale - Turin, 136 kilometres
The Giro d'Italia 2024 will begin in Piedmont. This was announced by the organiser RCS on 9 October. The first section is a mass start stage over 136 kilometres from Venaria Reale to Turin, with the Colle Maddalena as the main obstacle. The climb is 6.1 kilometres long with an average gradient of 7.4 per cent. The summit is reached around 20 kilometres before the finish. The riders also pass the Superga climb, 75 years after the Superga plane crash in which almost the entire AC Turin football team perished.
Stage 2: San Francesco al Campo - Santuario di Oropa, 150 kilometres
The 2nd stage is already a mountain finish. It covers 150 kilometres to Santuario di Oropa. The final climb has an average gradient of 6.2 per cent over 11.8 kilometres. This means that there could be a first elimination race in the overall standings on the second day.
Stage 3: Novara - Fossano, 165 kilometres
The third day of the Giro d'Italia 2024 could be something for the sprinters. 165 kilometres from Novara to Fossano. However, the finale of the stage is tricky with a short climb to the finish.
Will the south of Italy be left out of the Giro d'Italia 2024?
There has been much speculation about the rest of the route so far. What is certain is that stage four will start in Acqui Terme. From there it could go to Liguria. The local newspaper Il Secolo XIX suggests Savona and Andora as destinations for stage 4. According to the report, the fifth stage could lead from Genoa to Lucca in Tuscany. However, the Giro d'Italia 2024 is unlikely to go far south. The Giornale di Brescia reports that the stage race will enter its region at the end of the second week - probably with a hilly time trial on 18 May. This will be followed by a tough mountain stage with an arrival on the Forcola di Livigno mountain pass on the border with Switzerland.
Giro d'Italia 2024: Stelvio Pass and Monte Grappa included?
According to a report on the cycling portal Tuttobiciweb, the third week could begin with a stage over the Stelvio Pass, the Passo dello Stelvio also being the Cima Coppi (the highest point of the tour; editor's note). For the penultimate day, La Tribuna di Treviso is proposing a stage over Monte Grappa as the setting for the last big battle in the mountains, before the finale takes place on the last day in Rome. Last year, Mark Cavendish won the final stage in Rome.
Giro d'Italia 2024 for women
The route of the Giro d'Italia Women 2024 will also be presented at the Trento Sports Festival and will take place from 7 to 14 June. It is the first edition to be organised by the RCS. This is the first time that the women's race has the same organiser as the men's tour.
