Monza to Milan
Sunday 28th May, 28kms
What a dramatic end to this race we have had.. and it all comes down to the final TT, as I'm sure the organisers had hoped and dreamed for. 28kms separates Tom Dumoulin from victory in the Giro, it's in his hands now.
Pordenone to Asiago
Saturday 27th May, 190kms
The last chance saloon. The final day in the mountains, the last opportunity to move up in the GC if you are not a time triallist, and let's face it, not many of these guys are. But with 15kms to go from the top of the Foza, who can take the stage?
Moena to Ortisei/St. Ulrich
Thursday 25th May, 137kms
The organiser's website is calling this a Queen stage, just like they called the Stelvio stage a Queen stage too.. Although it's short at just 137kms, I guess they thought this stage was so tough that they felt like it deserved the title of Queen stage too.
San Candido to Piancavallo
Friday 26th May, 191kms
The penultimate stage in the mountains, the second last chance to make time before the TT.. a day that is spent mostly descending is suddenly punctuated by a steep wall for the last 14kms, we're sure to see a real GC war.
Rovetto to Bormio
Tuesday 23rd May, 222kms
Back after the rest day and in to the crucial final week. Who would have predicted two weeks ago that Tom Dumoulin would hold such a commanding lead over Nairo Quintana with just six stages to go,.
Tirano to Canazei
Wed. 24th May, 219kms
A day that screams out breakaway, it has the perfect start for it with the climb of Aprica which comes after just 2.9kms to help the climbers get away and the Passo del Tonale will help them extend the lead as the peloton downs tools for the day.
Valdengo to Bergamo
Sunday 21st May, 199kms
The mini Giro di Lombardia stage, with a visit to the hills over Bergamo that takes in the Selvino climb where Esteban Chaves made his attack last year and the Bergamo Alta which often plays a part in the race.
Castellania - Sant. di Oropa
Saturday 20th May, 131kms
A stage start with a nod to Fausto Coppi in his town of Castellania, and a stage finish on the legendary climb of Oropa, made mostly famous of course by Marco Pantani with his mythical win in 1999.
Reggio Emilia to Tortona
Friday 19th May, 162kms
Another boring flat stage, but thankfully not as long as yesterday's, it's 70lkms shorter at 162kms. But it's the flattest stage of the race, there's barely a ripple on the profile all day.
Ponte a Ema to Bagno di Romagno
Wednesday 17th May, 161kms
Stage 11 starts in Ponte a Ema in tribute to Giro legend Gino Bartali, and it's an interesting stage on the day after the first TT, a stage that looks perfect for the breakaway to succeed..
Foligno – Montefalco
Tuesday 16th May, 39.2km ITT
Rest day's over and it's time for the time triallists to have their fun, on a long and challenging route that runs through cereal fields and the vineyards of the Sagrantino di Montefalco wine estate.
M. di Bisaccia – Blockhaus
Sunday 14th May, 139kms
Blockhaus.. an interesting name for an Italian climb, sounds like a German techno band.. Or a Swiss climb that has shifted south 900kms. Whatever about it's name, it's probably going to leave its mark on this Giro
Forlì to Reggio Emilia
Thurs 18th May, 237kms
The longest stage of the race at 237kms, racing through Italian food heartland and finishing in the beautiful town of Reggio Emilia, mid-way between Parma and Bologna.
Molfetta – Peschici
Sat 13th May, 189kms
The 8th stage of the Giro starts in Molfetta for the very first time, and similar to stage 6 it's like a race of two halves with the first 84kms being completely flat and it kicks in to live later in the stage with a series of bumps and hills.
Castrovillari – Alberobello
Friday 12th May, 224kms
We cross across the top of the 'heel' of Italy, leaving Castovillari and skirting along the foot arch for 130kms before cutting inland and on to Alberobello, home of the unique Trullo buildings.
Reggio Calabria – Terme Luigiane
Thurs 11th May, 217kms
This is a bit more interesting now, back on the Italian mainland and a stage a bit more like something out of Tirreno-Adriatico with a lumpy last 40kms and a punchy uphill finish to the spa town of Terme Luigiane.
Pedara to Messina
Wed 10th May, 157kms
This stage will be all about a celebration of Vincenzo Nibali, as the stage heads to his home town of Messina, in a stage that could be one for the break. It starts out lumpy but the latter half of the stage is pretty flat and it end in a 6.3km circuit around Messina.
Cefalù – Etna (Rifugio Sapienza)
Tuesday 9th May, 180kms
So after the phoney war in Sardinia with three sprint stages, the GC battle kicks in to life on just the fourth stage, with the first summit finish of the race on Mount Etna. It will be the first sign we will get of who maybe isn't 100% and anyone who loses time here will perhaps lose a lot more in terms of confidence and belief.
Tortoli to Cagliari
Sunday 7th May, 148kms
Stage 3 then and there isn't much to say about this one, an almost dead flat stage where they spend most of the day on the coast, looping around the east side of Sardinia and on to the finish in Cagliari on the southern coast.
A selection of other bets that caught my eye..
I've done the Favourites and who I think will win the Sprints jersey, the KOM jersey and the Young Riders jersey. Here I take a look at some of the other markets that are available such as Team Classification and more.
Hat-trick time for Nibali?
Vincenzo Nibali was just 6/4 for this race last year, a price that looked terrible value when he sat in 4th place with just four stages to go, almost 5 minutes behind Kruijswijk.. but the rest is 'Storia' as they say in Italy.
Who will win the Points and KOM Jerseys?
Not only does the Giro have a very different and distinct leader's jersey compared to the ubiquitous yellow jerseys of so many other races, but it also has slightly unusual colours for the winners of the Mountains and Sprinters jerseys.
Olbia to Tortoli
Saturday 6th May, 221kms
A second day in Sardinia, as they work their way from north to south of the island, on a lumpy route that may well see the KOM jersey pass to a second rider on just the second day as they pass over their first 1,000m climb of the race at Genna Silana.
Alghero to Milan, 3615.4km
5th May to 28th May
The 100th Edition of the Giro d’Italia starts on Friday the 5th May in Sardinia, where the race takes in three stages, before hopping to Sicily after a rest day for two more stages, including the first summit finish of the race to Mt Etna, and a stage that finishes in Messina, Vincenzo Nibali’s home town..
Alghero to Olbia
Friday 5th May, 206kms
The Giro starts on a Friday again this year to allow for the three rest days later in the race. The 100th edition kicks off in Sardinia, with a long 206km run along the northern coast, finishing in Albio.
