The route of the 2024 Tirreno-Adriatico, seven days of racing, combines several sprints and hilly days as well as an opening 10km time trial and a summit finish atop Monte Petrano.
The race follows largely the same formula as the past two editions, kicking off with a short, flat time trial in Lido di Camaiore on Italy’s western coast in Tuscany before winding eastwards towards a penultimate day mountain stage and then the final sprint day in the city of San Benedetto del Tronto in Marche.
Monte Petrano is undoubtedly the highlight of the week of racing, rounding out the 180km stage 6 and appearing on a race route for the first time since the 2009 Giro d’Italia, where Carlos Sastre took the win ahead of Denis Menchov and Danilo Di Luca.
The stage, which is up and down all day before the challenging 10.1m, 8.1% ascent, should be the spot which decides the general classification of the 59th edition of the race. Jonas Vingegaard will no doubt be the top favourite for glory on the slopes of Monte Petrano.
“As in past editions, it promises to be an enthralling and spectacular Tirreno-Adriatico, full of great stars who have made the Race of the Two Seas the most prestigious one-week stage race in the world,” said RCS Sport head of cycling Mauro Vegni.
“Both stages and the general classification are the territories of riders who play an outstanding and leading role throughout the season, from the Classics to the three-week races. All these conditions create great interest and ensure that there is a moment of enormous visibility for the territories, also thanks to the live TV broadcast planned globally.”
Stage 1: Lido di Camaiore (ITT), 10km
The opening day on March 4 features the same seaside time trial used in the past two years, with Filippo Ganna set to take aim at his third win in a row on the out-and-back course in Lido di Camaiore.
Image 1 of 2
Stage 2: Camaiore-Follonica, 198km
After the short TT opens 1,115km of racing across central Italy, a sprint stage on the following day takes the peloton 198km from Camaiore to Follonica for a flat finish.
Image 1 of 2
Stage 3: Volterra – Gualdo Tadino, 220km
Stage 3 is the longest of the race at 220km and a rising finish in Gualdo Tadino. The 4% gradient of the finishing straight will put off some sprinters, though expect another large group coming to the line.