The 2024 Giro d’Italia Women will start with a 14.6km time trial around Brescia and end with two consecutive mountain stages in the southern Apennines, first at the summit of the Blockhaus and then to the town of L’Aquila via more climbs in the Abruzzo region.
The Italian Grand Tour was known as the Giro d’Italia Donne in recent years but new race organiser RCS Sport are determined to lift the profile and the quality of the race.
The Giro d’Italia Women will change dates in 2024, moving later into July for eight days of racing between July 7-14. That once again overlaps with the men’s Tour de France (June 29 – July 21st) but the stage finishes are expected to be earlier in the day. In 2024 the Tour de France Femmes will move to mid-August, arguably making the Giro d’Italia Women the ideal way to prepare for the Paris Olympic Games.
The 2024 Giro d’Italia Woman has a balanced route, with the seven consecutive road stages all over 100km, and with no rest day.
“It’s a Giro d’Italia Women with something for everyone. During the eight stages we want to give every kind of rider a chance of a stage victory before a final showdown in the Apennines,” Giusy Virelli, who designed the route and has 15 years of race direction with RCS Sport, explained during the route presentation.
“The 14.6km time trial is long enough to create some gaps and so reveal who will be the overall contenders and who will be inspired to attack to make up for time losses.
“Stage 7 to the Blockhaus is without doubt the Queen stage. It is 123 km long and includes 3600 metres of climbing. That’s more than when the men last finished there.”
The Blockhaus will award the Cima Alfonsina Strada prize – the women’s version of the Cima Coppi – named after the Italian cyclist who took part in the men’s Giro d’Italia in 1924.
The Giro Women starts with the Grande Partenza in the north of Italy and then travels south to the Abruzzo region for the finish in L’Aquila.
After the 14.6km Brescia time trial, stage 2 seems made for the sprinters. It travels from Sirmione on the edge of Lake Garda to finish in Volta Mantovana after a 20km finishing circuit.
Stage 3 is over 111km from Sabbioneta to Toano near Imola, and features a steady uphill finish.
Stage 4 takes the Giro Women south and towards the Adriatic coast, with a 133 km stage from Imolas to Urbino. The first part is pan flat…
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