- Seven mountain days, seven stages for the sprinters
- 61 kilometres of individual time trialling
- Race starts with a individual time trial (not prologue)
- Full route of 3,383km (average stage length 161km), from May 6 - 29
- Stages for Nibali, Dumoulin, Sagan and Cavendish
The 2016 Giro d’Italia will include three time trials and seven mountain stages, creating a balanced route which organisers RCS Sport hope will make for a close race and tempt some of the best riders in the world to attempt a rare Giro-Tour double or focus solely on the Italian Grand Tour.
After several leaks in recent weeks, the full details of the route were revealed on Monday at the official presentation at the Milan Expo in the presence of reigning champion Alberto Contador, new world champion Peter Sagan, and numerous riders who were in action at Il Lombardia on Sunday. Vincenzo Nibali restored Italian pride by dominating the final monument of the season and he is likely to target the Giro d’Italia in 2016 alongside Astana teammate and Vuelta a Espana winner Fabio Aru. While Chris Froome, Nairo Quintana and Alberto Contador are set to focus on the Tour de France next season, Richie Porte (BMC) and Mikel Landa (Team Sky) are expected to target the Giro, with RCS Sport also hoping to entice Tom Dumoulin of Giant-Alpecin and Thibaut Pinot of FDJ.
The official presentation in Milan revealed details of every one of the 21 stages. The dangers, opportunities and decisive climbs offered up by the race have been laid out in full for everyone to see. The 99th edition of the Giro d’Italia begins on Friday May 6 in the Netherlands and ends on Sunday May 29 in Turin. The racing begins on Friday so that riders can enjoy an extra rest day after the transfer from the Netherlands to Southern Italy.
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The opening 9.8km time trial in Apeldoorn will decide the first wearer of the leader’s maglia rosa, while the risk of crosswinds in the Netherlands and the rolling country roads of southern and central Italy should inspire some aggressive racing early on. The first mountain finish comes on stage six to Roccaraso in the central Apennines, with a gradual two-part 20km climb taking the riders up 1572 metres.
The 40.4km individual time trial in the Chianti vineyards of central Tuscany on stage 9 will be key and will no doubt change the leadership of the race as the overall contenders show their hands. The following day’s stage over the Apennines between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna is 216km long and has the profile of a shark’s teeth, ending with two testing and longer climbs. It could be perfect for Nibali to gain time on his less aggressive rivals.
The Giro d’Italia has snubbed the sprinters in recent years but the 2016 route includes seven potential sprint finishes. Three come early on and stages 11 and 12 to Asolo and Bibione are positioned before the mountains begin in earnest. The seventh is in Turin on the last stage but few sprinters are expected to survive the haul through the Dolomites and especially the French Alps.
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