Tirreno-Adriatico: All the essential info for the Race of the Two Seas

Date: Monday March 6, 2023 - Sunday March 12, 2023
Start: Lido di Camaiore 
Finish: San Benedetto del Tronto 
Total distance: 1,171.5km
Stages: Seven
Riders: 175
Teams: 25
Defending champion: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

Held in the middle of Italy's boot, Tirreno-Adriatico has become known as the Race of the Two Seas as the peloton rides from the Tyrrhenian coast, in recent years from Lido di Camaiore, to the Adriatic coast for the finish in San Benedetto del Tronto. 

It was first raced in 1966, and in 2023 the stage race will be in its 58th edition. The race has become one of Italy's most prestigious stage races and is considered a vital test for any riders who are aiming to ride the Giro d’Italia two months later. 

Roger De Vlaeminck holds the record for the most wins in this race, with a whopping six victories between 1972 until 1977. While there is a list of riders who have won this race twice including Primož Roglič, Alberto Contador and Vincenzo Nibali, no one has come close to challenging De Vlaeminck’s record. 

Tadej Pogačar is the current defending champion having won the race in 2021 and 2022, beating Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) last year by a comfortable margin. Pogačar will not be returning to defend his title this year, instead UAE Team Emirates will be sending Jay Vine and Adam Yates to contest the overall.

Other riders expected to be on the start line are Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal - Quick-Step), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert), and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers). 

Teams list for Tirreno-Adriatico: 

All 18 UCI WorldTour teams will be on the start line for the Tirreno-Adriatico, as well as seven wild card teams selected by the race organisers. 

• AG2R Citröen 
• Alpecin-Deceuninck
• Astana Qazaqstan 
• Bahrain-Victorious 
• Bora-Hansgrohe 
• Cofidis 
• EF Education-EasyPost
• Groupama-FDJ 
• Ineos Grenadiers 
• Intermarché-Circus-Wanty
• Jumbo-Visma
• Movistar 
• Soudal Quick-Step
• Team Arkéa-Samsic
• Team DSM
• Jayco AlUla 
• Trek-Segafredo
• UAE Team Emirates 
• Eolo-Kometa Cycling Team
• Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizané
• Israel-Premier Tech
• Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
• Team Corratec 
• TotalEnergies 
• Tudor Pro Cycling Team

Tirreno-Adriatico route 2023: 

Starting in Lido di Camaiore, the 2023 Tirreno-Adriatico is fast out the blocks with an 11.5km-long time trial. The pan flat route is basically two straight roads with a U-turn in the middle. Going from the shortest day to one of the longest days, stage two is a 209km route from Camaiore to Follonica. The first half of the route doesn’t throw many challenges at the peloton as the route heads towards Pisa and the district of Livorno, it’s only when they reach 83km that they then begin to climb up towards Castellina Marittima. The second half of the route continues to undulate towards the finish line, taking the peloton up and over L’Impostino twice, before a flat finish. 

Another long stage follows as the peloton heads inland towards Foligno. The first half of the day has the hills and the second half has the flats, so we expect the sprinters in the pack to shine. Three main climbs are on the day’s agenda: Roccastrada, Passo del Lume Spento, and La Foce. 

Stage four is where the race reaches its peak with the longest stage at 219km. Heading across the Apennines, the riders will tackle a punchy climb to Castelfranco just 10km from the start. Once they reach the top, they will then head downhill before a long uphill climb to Amatrice. After another short climb in Folignano, the peloton will reach the closing circuit, which they'll need to complete three times. Each lap they’ll need to get up and over the 3.9km-long climb, with the finish line of the day’s stage also on top of the same climb. 

The toughest stage follows as the peloton heads from Morro d’Oro to Sarnano-Sassotetto, facing an endless succession of ups and downs throughout the day. Passing through some of the race’s most popular locations including Offida, Comunanza and Amandala. In the final 40km, the peloton will face San Ginesio and Gualda, where KOM points will be up for grabs. The stage closes on a gruelling summit finish – a 14.5km climb with an average gradient of 6.5%, but with a 12% sting in its peak. 

As per Tirreno-Adriatico tradition, stage six will be the iconic tappa dei muri – the wall stage. Packed with hills and gruelling climbs, and some cobbles thrown into the mix, the peloton are in for a brutal day of racing. As they head across Recanati, Santa Maria del Monte, Macerata, Treia and Montefano they will face a number of lumps until they reach 84km. At this point they will begin their three laps around a circuit which begins with the climb of Offagna, a 1.3km climb with an average gradient of 4.1%. The final lap includes the hardest challenge of them all – a 10% cobbled climb to the finish. 

The closing stage of the race starts and finishes in San Benedetto del Tronto, and is almost identical to the closing stage of last year’s Tirreno-Adriatico. The first half of the route passes through Monteprandone, taking in the tough climb up to Cossignano. It continues to undulate through Montalto delle Marche and Carassai as they head to Ripatransone. Halfway through the stage, the riders will enter a 15km circuit which they will need to complete five times, before an all-out sprint to the finish line. 

Stage one: 11.5km, Lido di Camaiore - Lido di Camaiore (ITT)

Stage two: 209km, Camaiore - Follonica 

Stage three: 216km, Follonica - Foligno 

Stage four: 219km, Greccio - Tortoreto 

Stage five: 168km, Morro d’Oro - Sarnano-Sassotetto 

Stage six: 194km, Osimo Stazione - Osimo

Stage seven: 154km, San Benedetto del Tronto - San Benedetto del Tronto 

How to watch Tirreno-Adriatico 2023: 

Daily coverage of Tirreno-Adriatico will be streamed live on GCN+ for those watching from the UK and Europe. If you do not have the time to tune in live, GCN+ also offers full race replays of each stage. 

Eurosport and Discovery+ will also be covering the race live. If you have a SkyQ, Sky Stream and Sky Glass subscription, you are now able to sign up to Discovery+ for free as part of your package.