Giro d'Italia, stage by stage
In the middle of the cycling season, in May, Italy is to host the cycling race par excellence, now in its 105th edition: the Giro d'Italia. Together with the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, the Giro is among the most prestigious road cycling stage races in Europe and is part of the World Tour competition calendar regulated by the UCI, the International Cycling Union. Keeping the programme at hand, here is where you should be if you want to cheer the swarm of athletes who flock here from all over the world to compete in this historic competition to grab that famous pink jersey.
FROM THE DANUBE TO THE ADIGE, VIA THE RUBICONE
Followed with enthusiasm by cyclists and cycling fans, the Giro is an event that enjoys great popularity, even among the less experienced, if not from a scenic point of view. In the places that host the various stages, a special ferment builds up and those who watch it on television can see the festive air that animates the passage of the athletes and the charming landscapes that frame their efforts.
Scheduled from 6th to 29th May, the Giro d'Italia 2022 actually starts across the border, as has already happened in previous editions. The first three stages will be held in Hungary, setting off in the capital Budapest, before moving to Italy and climbing up its boot, stage after stage, from Sicily to the hills of Verona, where the tour is set to end with a timed stage.
The Giro d'Italia is remembered – and feared – by competitors for being a physically demanding test. There are several “walls” to climb, starting with the first Italian stage, which from Avola climbs up mount Etna, then the 5000 m of difference in height of the Apennine stage Isernia-Blockhaus and the extremely tough Alpine stages that also test athletes during the descent, such as the one that snakes down from the Valico di Santa Cristina.
There is no shortage of flatter stretches which may however prove insidious due to the presence of gusts of wind or even simply caused by the fatigue accumulated during the three weeks of the race. This is the case of the stage from Santarcangelo di Romagna to Reggio Emilia.
Here are the stages of the Giro d'Italia 2022:
• 6th May: Budapest - Visegrád
• 7th May: Budapest - Budapest (individual timed stage)
• 8th May: Kaposvár - Balatonfüred
• 9th May: rest
• 10th May: Avola - Etna (Sapienza refuge)
• 11th May: Catania - Messina
• 12th May: Palmi - Scalea (Riviera dei Cedri)
• 13th May: Diamante - Potenza
• 14th May: Naples - Naples (Procida)
• 15th May: Isernia - Blockhaus
• 16th May 2006: rest
• 17th May: Pescara - Jesi
• 18th May: Santarcangelo di Romagna - Reggio Emilia
• 19th May: Parma - Genoa
• 20th May: Sanremo - Cuneo
• 21st May: Santena - Turin
• 22nd May: Rivarolo Canavese - Cogne
• 23rd May: rest
• 24th May: Salò - Aprica
• 25th May: Ponte di Legno - Lavarone
• 26th May: Borgo Valsugana - Treviso
• 27th May: Marano Lagunare - Sanctuary of Castelmonte
• 28th May: Belluno - Marmolada (Fedaia Pass)
• 29th May: Verona - Verona (individual timed stage)
FIGURES FOR THE GIRO 2022
Since it exists, i.e. since the first edition in 1909, the Giro d'Italia has been held every year, generally in late spring, except for the interruptions due to the two World Wars and the 2020 edition that, due to the anti-COVID measures, took place in October. The 2022 edition, 20th race in the UCI World Tour 2022 and fourteenth Giro to begin outside Italy, will take place over a total of 24 days, of which 21 will be raced and 3 days are scheduled for rest, for a total length of 3445.6 kilometres. The difference in height is 50.580 metres, two individual timed stages, six high mountain stages, six medium mountain stages and seven stages on flat ground. All that's left now is to wait until 6th May and prepare to cheer for the one hundred and fifty-fifth time.
