Four summit arrivals are planned, the first on Etna upon arrival in Sicily after the three-day prelude in Hungary.
The Blockhaus at the end of the first week, Cogne in the Aosta valley then the passo Fedaia in the dolomite massif of La Marmolada, will be the other highlights in the mountains, with a formidable stage arriving in Aprica after the Mortirolo climbed by its southern slope little used then the little-known Santa Catarina (13.5 km at 8%).
The Giro d'Italia peloton is heading towards the slopes of Mount Etna, where the arrival of the 4th stage, which started from Cefalu, will take place on May 9, 2017 Luk BENIES AFP / Archives
Seven stages are designed for sprinters according to the organizers who have targeted six high mountain stages.
On the other hand, the chronometer specialists will have only two short tests in their favor, the first in Hungary (second stage, in the streets of Budapest) and the second at the conclusion of the event on May 29 in the arenas of Verona where the Giro returns three years after the success of Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz.
It is quite unusual to see the Giro finish elsewhere than in Milan, but it is not completely new either: Verona will welcome its fifth finish after those of 1981, 1984, 2010 and 2019.
The course, 3410.3 kilometers long (number subject to slight variations by May), has an overall vertical drop of 51,000 meters, a historically high total which typifies this 105th Giro as a great tour for climbers.
The organizers announced last week that the Giro would start from Hungary, as was already planned in 2020 before the Giro d'Italia was postponed to the fall in a modified version due to the Covid pandemic.
This is the 14th time that the Giro d'Italia will depart from abroad, the previous one dating back to 2018 with a given start from Jerusalem.
The defending champion is the Colombian Egan Bernal (Ineos), winner in May of his first Giro.
© 2021 AFP