Giro d'Italia 2023 route: full details of the 106th Corsa Rosa

When the route for the 2023 Giro d'Italia was unveiled, the most striking thing about it was the drastic increase in time trialling.

Overall, there will be three time trials, with a flat 18.4km opening stage in Abruzzo, an 18.6km mountain time trial in Friuli-Venezia Giulia on the penultimate stage, and a lengthy, pan-flat 33.6km ITT in Emilia Romagna after eight days of racing. Added all together, that makes for a total of 70.6 time trialling kilometres — the most of any Giro since the 2013 edition, and almost three times as many as at last year’s. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal - Quick-Step) lived up to expectations by winning both time trials in the first week, but has since had to withdraw from the Giro due to covid. 

In recent years, Grand Tours have been reducing the amount of time trials, so this year's edition of the Giro is going against the grain, giving an entirely different crop of riders the chance to fight for the maglia rosa. 

Giro d'Italia 2023 map and route

Of course, this being the Giro d’Italia, there’s still plenty of climbing to account for. Summit finishes in the Apennines, the Alps and the Dolomites provide plenty of opportunities for climbers to attack, and those who aren’t confident with their time trialling will be keen to use every opportunity to make gains where the terrain suits them. While we expect to see plenty of fireworks from the GC on the punchy gradients, the first summit finish on the Gran Sasso d'Italia reminded us that anything can happen in a Grand Tour, with Davide Bais from Eolo-Kometa winning from the early breakaway.

As the route headed north, the opening stages saw plenty of victories for the sprinters, with Michael Matthews (Jayco Alula), Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) and Jonathan Milan (Bahrain-Victorious) all claiming a stage. But the win didn't come so easy for the sprinters, with a substantial amount of climbing to contend with first, playing into the hands of the breakaway. The second week is much of the same, with the sprinters and the breakaway artists hunting down more stage wins. 

But as the peloton nears the third and final week, we are expecting plenty of fireworks as the riders take on the Passo Giau, Monte Bondone and the Coi. And for the first time since 2018, the Giro will finish in the nation’s capital of Rome, having alternated between Milan and Verona in recent years.

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage one: Fossacesia > Ortona, 18.4km

The Belgian national champion stormed to victory in the opening time trial, making him the first rider to wear the maglia rosa. 

Winner: Remco Evenepoel (Soudal - Quick-Step)

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage two: Teramo > San Salvo, 204km

Stage two was a snoozy ride down the Adriatic Coast from Teramo to San Salvo, with only a few hills during the opening half of the first road stage. It was only until four kilometres to go that the race sparked into life with a crash near the front of the peloton that took out the big hitters – Mads Pedersen and Mark Cavendish – from the bunch sprint, with Jonathan Milan seizing the opportunity to go for glory. 

Winner: Jonathan Milan (Bahrain-Victorious)

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage three: Vasto > Melfi, 210km

On a wet and miserable day of the Giro, Jayco Alula drove the pace on the first climb as they caught the early breakaway, leading Michael Matthews to take the stage.

Winner: Michael Matthews (Jayco Alula)

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage four: Venosa > Lago Laceno, 184km

It was a brutal day in the peloton with relentless attacks fighting for the breakaway. After 110km of racing, the winning breakaway of Aurélien Paret-Peintre (AG2R Citroën Team), Andreas Leknessund (Team DSM) and Toms Skujinš (Trek-Segafredo) finally managed to get clear. And after three days in the pink jersey, Leknessund took the pink jersey from Evenepoel.  

Winner: Aurélien Paret-Peintre (AG2R Citroën Team)

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage five: Atripalda > Salerno, 172km

The wet weather caused chaos for the peloton as they rode from Atripalda to Salerno, with crashes defining the day. Remco Evenepoel, Primož Roglič, Jay Vine  and Mark Cavendish were amongst those who ended up on the wet floor, even the eventual stage winner Kaden Groves was involved in a crash just 7km from the end. But the Australian emptied the tank to get back to the peloton and take the stage. 

Winner: Kaden Groves (Alpecin–Deceuninck)

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage six: Napoli > Napoli, 156km

Simon Clarke and Alessandro De Marchi played a game of cat-and-mouse as the chasing bunch quickly approached the duo in the final few hundred metres of the race. In the end, the pair were caught, and Trek-Segafredo's Mads Pedersen won the stage. 

Winner: Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo)

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage seven: Capua > Gran Sasso d'Italia, 218km

In what was the most anticipated stage of the opening week, ended up being the most boring as the back loaded stage caused a stalemate between the key GC contenders. The only excitement came from the opportunistic trio of Davide Bais (EOLO-Kometa), Karel Vacek (Team Corratec-Selle Italia) and Simone Petilli (Intermachè-Circus-Wanty), who escaped the peloton at the start of the day and made it all the way to the end, with wildcard team Eolo-Kometa conquering the legendary Gran Sasso. 

Winner: Davide Bais (EOLO-Kometa)

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage eight: Terni > Fossombrone, 207km

With 50km remaining on the first slopes of the Cappuccini, EF Education-EasyPost rider Ben Healy disappeared up the rode and soloed to victory in his Grand Tour debut.  

Winner: Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost)

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage nine: Savignano sul Rubicone > Cesena (Technogym Village), 33.6km

Once again the Belgian national champion celebrated a time trial victory at the Giro, getting himself back in pink, but it was by a fine margin with Geraint Thomas hot on his heels. However, the same evening Soudal - Quick-Step announced that Remco Evenepoel had contracted covid and would be leaving the race, handing the maglia rosa to Thomas. 

Winner: Remco Evenepoel (Soudal - Quick-Step)

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage 10: Scandiano > Viareggio, 190km

 

Magnus Cort was the second rider of this Giro d'Italia to secure the Grand Tour grand slam (a stage win at all three Grand Tours). The Danish rider took the stage after getting into the early breakaway with Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) and Alessandro De Marchi (Jayco Alula), who succeeded in making it all the way to the line. 

Winner: Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost)

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage 11: Camaiore > Tortona, 218km

After a long day the saddle, Stage 11 was won by the finest of margins with Pascal Ackermann taking the win by a tyres width. Second was Jonathan Milan (Bahrain-Victorious) and third was the Manx missile, Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan). 

Winner: Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates)

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage 12: Bra > Rivoli, 179km

The Colle Braida isn’t as difficult as the proper Alpine tests awaiting in the coming days, but will be enough to determine the winner of stage 12. 

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage 13: Borgofranco d’Ivrea > Crans Montana, 208km

The riders cross the border into Switzerland for one of the hardest stages of the Giro, featuring this year’s Cima Coppi of Col du Grand Saint-Bernard as the first of three massive mountains. 

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage 14: Sierre > Cassano Magnago, 194km

After getting the Passo del Sempione out of the way just 56km into the stage, there’s nothing to challenge the riders prior to the finish at Cassano Magnago. 

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage 15:  Seregno > Bergamo, 191km

 The second week closes with a hilly stage in the same territory as the Il Lombardia Monument. 

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage 16: Sabbio Chiese > Monte Bondone, 198km

Beginning a final week packed with mountains, stage 16 features over 5,000m of climbing, including a summit finish at Monte Bondone. It'll be a tough start to a tough week. 

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage 17: Pergine Valsugana > Caorle, 192km

The one moment of respite during the last week, this is the flattest stage of the Giro and should be nailed-on for a bunch sprint.

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage 18: Oderzo > Val di Zoldo, 160km

Despite being a slightly shorter stage, the steep slopes of the new climb to Coi provide an air of intrigue and mystery to the finale of stage 18.

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage 19: Longarone > Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Rif. Auronzo), 182km

With a total of five mountains in the iconic landscape of the Dolomites, amounting to a total elevation gain of 5,400m, this is the queen stage of the 2023 Giro.

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage 20: Tarvisio > Monte Lussari, 18.6km

Unlike the other two time trials, stage 20 offers something for the climbers, with the last seven of its 18 kilometres spent climbing the steep Monte Lussari.

Giro d'Italia 2023 - stage 21: Roma > Roma, 115km

A very long transfer takes the riders from Tarviso in the far north-east, to Rome, to finish the Giro with a circuit stage around its historical streets for a likely sprint finish.