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Step 1 — Saturday May 4
Venaria Reale to Turin
Distance: 140 km (87 miles)
Profile: Hilly stage
Stage 1: Not too demanding, but the finale will encourage attacks
The 2024 Giro d’Italia kicks off with a hilly loop stage from Venaria Reale, a suburb of Turin, to the center of Turin itself.
140 km long, it includes three categorized climbs and totals 1,850 meters of elevation gain. It’s not as severe as the opening stage of the Tour de France but it will certainly leave room for attacks and possible time differences.
The first 45km are relatively flat, after which riders encounter the fourth category Berzano di San Pietro climb. The second highest peak of the day follows 30km after this summit, with the third category Superga measuring around 8km long. We will approach it from the Baldissero Torinese side, which is less steep than if we took the opposite direction.
The toughest climb of the day begins 33 km after this summit, with the second category Colle della Maddalena averaging 7.4 percent over 6 kilometers.
From there to the finish it’s 32km mostly downhill and flat, although the unclassified Bivio di San Vito jolts up just 3km away. Although it is short (just 1.4km), it averages 9.8% and maxes out at 16%, making it the perfect launch pad for a rider such as Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates ).
A tricky descent takes riders with 600 meters to go, so gaps at the top could well be preserved until the finish line and decide the first maglia rosa.
