Mountain Top Finishes Reign Supreme at the 2019 Giro d'Italia

Brutal climbs of the Gavia, Mortirolo, Colle del Nivolet, Manghen Pass and Rolle Pass will delight racing fans

The 2019 Giro d’Italia will feature three challenging individual time trials with seven mountain top finishes, with winner being crowned in the Verona following a final, decisive 15.6 kilometer time trial.

The 2019 route features to brutal Queen stages, in the Alps that features back to back climbs of the oxygen sapping and snow covered Gavia and the fiercesome climb of the dreaded Gavia, touted as the hardest climb in professional cycling by Lance Armstrong.

The second Queen stage in the Dolomites contains over 5,000 metres of climbing over Cima Campo, Passo Manghen and Passo Rolle, and a closing climb up Croce d'Aune-Monte Avena.

The first week opens up with an important GC uphill ITT time trial up San Luca, before the race settles in for some relatively flat stages that will suit pure sprinters, breakaways and roulers.

The GC contenders can hang on until stage 9 for the second individual time trial will be a crucial stage for the GC contenders. The course gradully climbs upwards past the Republic of San Marino, all the way to the finish. For the first 22 km, the route follows a winding and undulating profile leading to Faetano. Here, the route starts to rise, reaching double-digit gradients, all the way to Fiorentino.

Into the second week and Stage 12 is where the GC battle will start to get interesting. This short yet demanding stage passes over steep Via dei Principi di Acaja (with peaks topping out at 20%) twice. It then tackles the first category climb of the Montoso. After reaching Pinerolo, the route takes a first pass over the wall, tackles the Montoso climb and goes back to Pinerolo to clear the wall for the second time, 3 kms before the finish.

Stage 13 is the first big mountain stage, as the GC battle begins to boil. It contains the Colle Del Lys, Pain Del Lupo before finishing atop the Colle del Nivolet climb, leading all the way to Lago Serrù. The route takes the repaved “old road”, with steep gradients topping out at 15%.

Another tough day in the mountains. Stage 14 is fairly short at 131km – Stage 14 features five KOMs and a total elevation of 4,000m, very high compared to the distance. Starting from Saint-Vincent the course takes in 5 categorised climbs up Verrayes, Verrogne, Truc d'Arbe (Combes) and Colle San Carlo, before the summit finish in Courmayeur. In 1959, Charly Gaul won the stage and wore the Maglia Rosa on his way to victory in that edition of the Giro d’Italia. These are long climbs with high average gradients, raced one after the other with barely a breath in between.

Into the third week and the Giro starts to get brutal.

Stage 16, the Queen stage is 226 kilometers with a leg sapping 5,700m of climbing. It runs over the Presolana, the Croce di Salven, before climbing the legendary Gavia Pass (Cima Coppi), and the fiercesome Mortirolo (Montagna Pantani) from the hardest side of Mazzo di Valtellina.

Don't miss this stage, the beautiful views on the Gavia, the dangerous descent and then then the hardest climb in professional cycling some say, the dreaded and renlentless killer climb of the Mortirolo.

Stage 17 will start in Commezzadura, with a slight descent through the Val di Sole, before climbing until the Mendola Pass. After the descent towards Bolzano the route climbs up to the Eisack Valley and, after Bressanone, the Puster Valley. Riders will face the Naz and Terento climbs before the long final ascent towards Anterselva’s Biathlon Stadium, which will host the winter sports World Championships in 2020. Another tough constantly upstage stage to sap the legs of the GC contenders with a battle to the finish line. Another hot stage to watch as the race heats up.

Stage 19, from Treviso to San Martino di Castrozza, is short with a summit finish. The first part is hilly but not particularly hard, with the Montello and Passo San Boldo climbs ahead of the final ascent. The summit finish, features gradients that are not excessive, suitable for rouleurs, and a breakaway may have a chance too.

Another mighty stage, the second Queen stage over the Dolomites with over 5,000m of elevation, it includes the climbs of Cima Campo, Manghen Pass, Rolle Pass and the final ascent of Croce d’Aune-Monte  Avena. The stage course covers the historical route of the Gran Fondo Sportful. The last summit finish features a long climbs (over 15 km), with gradients exceeding 10-12%. Another brutal stage not to be missed.

The final and last individual time trial in Verona is 15.6 km long, on the famous circuit around Torricelle. The circuit features the Torricelle climb at 4.5km – at an average 5% gradient, with some steeper sections, with 4km descent towards Piazza Bra and the Verona Arena, where the winner of 2019 Giro d’Italia will be crowned!

The course suits the climbers who can time trial, whilst the sprinters and roulers have dozens of opportunties to take stage wins and the points jersey.

This year's Giro will suit Nibali, Aru, Tom Dumoulin, Chris Froome, Pinout Thibault and Valverde who can climb, time trial and attack on the many summit finishes. It's not as hard as the Tour France this year, but the Queen stages and some of the lesser known climbs like the Colle del Nivolet will be breathtaking.

If you interested in riding some of the stages and watching the race, then please head to over Garda Bike Hotel, who will be annoucing their 2019 VIP Giro d'Italia Packages shortly.

2019 Giro d’Italia Route

May 11, Stage 1 Bologne – San Luca (individual time trial, 8.2km)
May 12, Stage 2 Bologne – Fucecchio (200km)
May 13, Stage 3 Vinci – Orbetello (219km)
May 14, Stage 4 Orbetello – Frascati (228km)
May 15, Stage 5 Frascati – Terracina (140km)
May 16, Stage 6 Cassino – San Giovanni Rotondo (233km)
May 17, Stage 7 Vasto – L’Aquila (180km)
May 18, Stage 8 Tortoreto Lido – Pesaro (235km)
May 19, Stage 9 Riccione – San Marino (individual time trial, 34.7km)

Rest Day

May 20, Stage 10 Ravenna – Modena (147km)
May 21, Stage 11 Carrpi – Novi Ligure (206km)
May 22, Stage 12 Cuneo – Pinerolo (146km)
May 23, Stage 13 Pinerolo – Ceresole Reale (188km)
May 24, Stage 14 Saint-Vincent – Courmayeur (131km)
May 25, Stage 15 Ivrea – Como (237km)

Rest Day

May 28, Stage 16 Lovere – Ponte Di Legno (226km)
May 29, Stage 17 Commezzadura – Anterselva/Antholz (180km)
May 30, Stage 18 Valdaora/Olang – Santa Maria di Sala (220km)
May 31, Stage 19 Treviso – San Martino di Castrozza (151km)
June 01, Stage 20 Feltre – Croce d’Aune – Monte Avena (193km)
June 02, Stage 21 Verona – Verona (individual time trial, 15.6km)