Feb 11, 2023 Daniel Benson
Feb 11, 2023 Daniel Benson

Giro d’Italia 2023: Route, riders and TV coverage

Want to know more about the first Grand Tour of the year? Our Giro d’Italia 2023 preview has all the info!

Giro d’Italia 2023: Route, riders and TV coverage Giro d’Italia 2023: Route, riders and TV coverage

Giro d’Italia 2023 Key Information:

Dates: Saturday 6 May – Sunday 28 May 2023
Race length: 3,448.6 kilometres
Start: Fossacesia Marina, Italy
Finish: Rome, Italy
Mountain stages: 7 in total, with 51,300 metres of total climbing

When is the Giro d’Italia 2023?

The 2023 Giro d’Italia takes place between Saturday 6 May and Sunday 28 May. The race starts along the Abruzzo coast with a highly anticipated 18.4km individual time trial before concluding in Rome three weeks later with a short circuit stage. The first Grand Tour of the 2023 road season promises to be an exciting affair with several high profile contenders and a jaw-dropping route that should keep the race wide open right until the final weekend.

Movistar will bring a full team to the start line of the Giro d’Italia 2023. Movistar will bring a full team to the start line of the Giro d’Italia 2023.

Giro d’Italia 2023 race route

Giro d’Italia race organisers RCS presented the 2023 race route in Milan, Italy, back in October 2022 and since then the hype has only increased as the first Grand Tour of the season comes into view. In a bid to attract world champion Remco Evenepoel the organisers have served up a whopping 70.6km of time trialling throughout the route, with three individual tests perfectly suited to the young Belgian superstar.

Yet despite the high volume of time trial kilometres the 2023 route remains a balanced affair with seven mountain stages and plenty of brutally tough days through the Dolomites and Julian Alps to potentially unsettle Evenepoel’s challenge. No doubt the weather - which is often unpredictable in May - the aggressive nature of the Giro, and the likelihood of new challengers will mean that the race could go down to the wire.


Giro d’Italia: week one

The 2023 Giro d’Italia kicks off with an 18.4km individual time trial in the Abruzzo region. The majority of the stage is flat before a final kick to the finishing town of Ortona. With the first maglia rosa on the line expect fireworks from the GC contenders and the time trial specialists. Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) is the standout favourite, while Alpecin Deceunick and Movistar will both have dark horse contenders aboard the Canyon Speedmax. The Dutch team will be highly motivated after Mathieu van der Poel wore the maglia rosa during last year’s first time trial at the Giro d’Italia. The Dutch rider won the opening sprint stage in 2022, and although he is set to miss the race this year, Alpecin Deceunick are guaranteed to have a competitive team.

The next two stages should end in sprint finishes and with Kaden Groves (Alpecin Deceunick) initially slated to make his Giro d’Italia debut the Australian should be in the hunt for his maiden grand tour stage win. The sprinter has become one of the most promising riders in the last couple of seasons and will be going all-out on his Canyon Aeroad in order to win his maiden Grand Tour stage.

The climbers will come to the fore on stage 4 with an intermediate level mountain stage to Lago Laceno but the first genuine showdown of the race will take place on stage 7 with the first finish above 2,000 metres atop the Gran Sasso climb.

Mathieu van der Poel in the maglia rosa during the 2022 Giro d’Italia. Mathieu van der Poel in the maglia rosa during the 2022 Giro d’Italia.

Giro d’Italia week two

Following the first major mountain stage the Giro d’Italia returns to time trial mode just two days later with the longest individual test against the clock in this year’s race. Here Evenepoel, Geraint Thomas and Primož Roglič will look to distance all of their GC rivals in the race for the maglia rosa and with an almost pan-flat 33.6km stage between Savignano sul Rubicone and Cesena the pure climbers will hope to limit their losses.

After the first rest day of the race the Giro provides the sprinters and breakaway specialists with chances to shine with the race traversing through Tuscany, Piemonte and Rivoli. However, stage 13 returns to the mountains with another summit finish at Crans Montana in Switzerland. Expect major time gaps over the 208km stage with the riders set to climb the Colle del Gran San Bernardo (the highest point of the race), La Croix de Coeur, and the final slog to the finish line at the ski resort. The stage comprises of 5,100 metres of climbing and will test the mettle of the pure climbers, and the sprinters who will be racing to avoid the time cut.

Throwback to Valverde leading the race up a climb in a previous edition of the Giro d’Italia. Throwback to Valverde leading the race up a climb in a previous edition of the Giro d’Italia.
Giro d’Italia: week three

At this point in the race the key contenders will be well established and a pecking order on GC is likely to dictate the nature of the final week. However, there’s no getting away from just how tough the last block of stages are with several key mountain test, and an uphill time trial on the menu.

Following the final rest day, the riders head straight into the mountains for an epic stage 16 that begins on the shores of Lake Garda but then crams over 5,200m of climbing into 198km of racing with Monte Bondone the final summit. With pitches of 15% this final climb could easily see several GC contenders unravel before the line.

The sprinters still in the race will enjoy their penultimate flat stage on stage 17 before the race heads deep into the Dolomites for a trio of mountain stages that will ultimately decide the final outcome and the winner of the 2023 Giro d’Italia.

Stage 18 from Oderzo - Val di Zoldo is only 160km in length but it certainly packs a punch with several categorised climbs including the Cansiglio, the Forcella Cibiani and the final climb to Coi. It may not be the toughest of the Dolomite stages but there’s enough climbing to cause major damage to some tired legs.

Stage 19 is the Queen stage of this year’s Giro d’Italia and the hardest trittico of mountain stages inside the final week. Heading out from Longarone, and covering 182km, the stage includes 5,400m of climbing with the Passo Campolongo leading into the Passo Valparola before the mouth-watering ascent of the Passo Giau. After a long descent the road kicks up once more with the Passo Tre Croci climb before a short downhill section to Misurina and then the final ascent to the line at Tre Cime di Lavaredo. This promises to be one of the most epic days of racing at the Giro d’Italia in recent memory.

Before the last stage in Rome the riders have to contend with the final mountain test, an 18.6km individual time trial between Tarvisio and Monte Lussari. With a flat first half, followed by a lung-busting ascent the vast majority of riders will make a bike switch, swapping out their road bikes for time trial machines at the base of the final climb. If Will Barta (Movistar) returns to the Giro after making his debut in 2022 he could be one of the contenders for stage and making the switch between his Canyon road bike and his Speedmax.

Alpecin-Deceuninck had a special edition Giro d’Italia kit in 2022. Alpecin-Deceuninck had a special edition Giro d’Italia kit in 2022.

Who won the Giro d’Italia 2022?

In 2022 Australian rider Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) came out on top after a thrilling edition of the race. Hindley, who finished a surprise second overall in 2020, matched pre-race favourite Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) at almost every turn and went into the final mountain stage just three seconds behind the Ecuadorian rider.

Then on the final mountain stage Hindley launched a devastating attack on the slopes of the Marmolada. Carapaz was able to match the initial surge but he was forced to let Hindley disappear up the road after the Australian and his German teammate Lennard Kämna set a ferocious pace. This year Kämna is set to return to the Giro d’Italia as a super domestique.

By the time Carapaz crept over the line he had lost his race lead and sat 1:25 behind Hindley. The final time trial in Verona was merely a formality with Hindley holding off Carapaz and becoming the first Australian to win the men’s Giro d’Italia.

The 2022 edition of the race also saw Mathieu van der Poel make his debut in the race. The Dutch rider won the opening stage and claimed the first maglia rosa of the race on board his Canyon Aeroad. Van der Poel’s team went on to take two more stage wins during the race with Dries De Bondt and Stefano Oldani both tasting success. Van der Poel’s aggressive racing style also netted him the Combativity classification.

The coveted Endless Trophy of the Giro d’Italia. Whose name will be added at the end of the 2023 race? The coveted Endless Trophy of the Giro d’Italia. Whose name will be added at the end of the 2023 race?

Who are the favourites for the Giro d’Italia 2023?

With Hindley set to shift his focus and target the Tour de France in July the race for the maglia rosa will focus on a new set of challengers. World road race champion, and last year’s Vuelta a España winner, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal QuickStep) will be hoping to make it back-to-back Grand Tour wins, and with an abundance of time trialling kilometres the all-rounder should start as the rider to beat. Primož Roglič, who was third overall back in 2019, will be looking for redemption after crashing out of the last two editions of the Tour de France.

Veteran British rider Geraint Thomas will lead the line for Ineos Grenadiers in what might be his final grand tour before retirement, while Aleksandr Vlasov will replace Hindley as Bora-Hangrohe’s GC threat. Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates), Thibaut Pinot (Groupama FDJ) and Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) will also hope to be in contention for the maglia rosa and the remaining steps on the podium.

How to watch Giro d’Italia

In the UK, the 2023 Giro d'Italia will be shown live across Eurosport and Eurosport Player via Discovery+. The race host broadcaster Rai Sport will show the race in Italy, while US and Australian broadcasters will be announced soon.

Giro d’Italia Jerseys

Maglia Rosa

Also referred to as the pink jersey, the maglia rosa is worn by the overall leader in the general classification. The maglia rosa is one of the most iconic and beautiful jerseys in all of cycling.


Maglia Azzurra

This blue jersey is worn by the leaders of the mountains classification and is the equivalent to the polka-dot jersey at the Tour de France. Points are awarded at the top of each climb at the Giro d’Italia with more points awarded on the toughest of ascents.


Maglia Ciclamino

The Maglia Ciclamino is determined by points awarded on a daily basis and based on finishing places after each stage. In recent years the jersey has typically been won by sprinters, while back in 2012 climber Jaoquim Rodriguez won the classification as part of the Canyon backed Katusha team.


Maglia Bianca

Just like the white jersey at the Tour de France, this jersey is awarded to the best young rider (25 years or younger) on GC.

MVDP shows off in the maglia ciclamino, the jersey awards to the leader of the points classification. MVDP shows off in the maglia ciclamino, the jersey awards to the leader of the points classification.

Canyon at the 2023 Giro d’Italia

Two WorldTour teams will race Canyon bikes at the 2023 Giro d’Italia with both Movistar and Alpecin-Deceuninck both set to send strong teams to the Italian Grand Tour in May.

Movistar will be without the recently retired Alejandro Valverde but the versatile Spanish team could head into the race with American time trial specialist Will Barta. Sprinter Fernando Gaviria could also have a starting spot and will be looking to add to his tally of five stage wins aboard his new Canyon Aeroad. Iván Ramiro Sosa raced the Giro d’Italia in 2023 and may return for a second successive adventure. The 25-year-old climber is a possible contender for a stage win in the mountains and will race on the Ultimate CFR.

Although Mathieu Van Der Poel will not race the Giro d’Italia in 2023 having chosen to focus on the Spring Classics and Tour de France, his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammates are sure to race aggressively and on a number of fronts. Kaden Groves will target the sprint stages on his debut, while Nicola Conci and Stefano Oldani will aim for mountain stages, if selected.

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  • Daniel Benson
    About the author

    Daniel Benson

    Get ready to take a thrilling ride through the world of cycling with Daniel Benson, a seasoned journalist who has covered some of the biggest events in the sport, from the Tour de France to the Olympics.

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