Giro d'Italia Giro d'Italia 2025: Stage-by-stage analysis

[Red Rick]

Did you take the 2015 edition seriously?

2015 had it's hardest MTF on stage 5 and 8, and selective medium mountain stages as early as stage 4. In addition, the # of very hard mountain stages in the final 7 stages was higher, and there was no active suicide of stage designs going on such as Asiago. Finally, the transition stage in the final week was actually a breakaway stage with potential for surprise GC action, which actually happened.

 

[Extinction]

How can we take this race seriously when after 13 stages we haven't had a proper GC stage and we still don't know the balance of power?
A GT needs to have hard stages spread out in the 3 weeks. It can' t be a walk for 15 days and fireworks for 3 days. This is pathetic.

Suspense

 

[CyclistAbi]

So will Pedersen go for it on Finestre? That would be something.

 

[ashhutch1997]

Suspense

We had that in 2022 and 2023 and they were terrible editions.

 

[Red Rick]

We had that in 2022 and 2023 and they were terrible editions.

They were still better than in 2024.

Especially 2022 is overhated in my book and I think there just was a certain disdain for the field at the time. Hindley was considered a joke who nearly fluked a Giro in 2020, and everyone decided the race was awful because the field was terrible. In reality you had the top 2 climbers dropping the rest like 5 times over, they didn't just drop each other. Which makes it very hardly different from some Pog vs Vingegaard or Schleck vs Contador battles.

 

[tobydawq]

Why are you guys even watching the race? You probably decided it was going to be bad as soon as the route was published and no amount of counter-evidence is going to change your mind. PWU work at its absolute finest.

 

[Heston]

Why are some people saying stage 19 is bad? It looks on par with the La Loze stage from this years Tour.

 

[ashhutch1997]

Why are you guys even watching the race? You probably decided it was going to be bad as soon as the route was published and no amount of counter-evidence is going to change your mind. PWU work at its absolute finest.

The stages that have been decently designed have delivered. I actually think it'll be a great last week and it's a good field. If we had a 2015 style route I generally think with the riders in this race we'd have a great edition. But you can help but look at this weekends stages and think what a waste.

 

[Netserk]

The only stage that has underwhelmed so far has been stage 3. The rest has more or less been in line with expectations. Crashes towards Tirana, Napoli and Siena were unfortunate, but the stages were fine apart from that.

It would have been welcome with another straightforward shootout in addition to Marsia, like Crispiero which could easily be added to stage 8, and I would have loved if the second ITT was twice the length (and dry!), but I think it should be noted that a fair amount of the stages have (slightly) overdelivered. It's been a fine race so far, at least in aspects other than a normal MTF wrestle.

 

[Netserk]

In reality you had the top 2 climbers dropping the rest like 5 times over, they didn't just drop each other.

I don't remember that. Do you mean Carapaz and Hindley?

 

[tobydawq]

The stages that have been decently designed have delivered. I actually think it'll be a great last week and it's a good field. If we had a 2015 style route I generally think with the riders in this race we'd have a great edition. But you can help but look at this weekends stages and think what a waste.

I agree that this weekend sucks. But next week can be great, especially because several riders have shown intent to open things up early and there can be intra UAE drama.

 

[tobydawq]

I don't remember that. Do you mean Carapaz and Hindley?

Yes. He probably forgets Landa's existence and the bunch sprint on the Blockhaus.

 

[Netserk]

I think yesterday's stage was good (thank you, Ineos!), but with today in mind, they could have made it a proper GC stage. The best would have been without a circuit in the end and opting for some of the hardest ascents in the area:

Vicenza (Monte Berico), finale

37.3 km, +1105 m. Bike ride in Comune di Grancona, Veneto

ridewithgps.com

And as a full stage:

Rovigo > Vicenza (Monte Berico), alternative

146.4 km, +2808 m. Bike ride in Comune di Boara Pisani, Veneto

ridewithgps.com

 

[Extinction]

We had that in 2022 and 2023 and they were terrible editions.

I was being sarcastico. It's unpardonable that the Saturday of the second weekend there isn't a mega-mountain GC stage. People work during the week, so give them something exciting to watch during the weekend! Vegni is incompetent and so it boggles the mind how he is in charge.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Yes. He probably forgets Landa's existence and the bunch sprint on the Blockhaus.

Also, the reason that Hindley/Carapaz/Landa kept dropping everyone else was not that they attacked (they didn't), but that the next-best climber in the race was a Nibali who practically needed a walking stick by that point.

It honestly makes me sad to see someone of RR's stature try to rewrite the history of the 2022 and 2023 Giri by twisting the facts. I miss the time when he was one of the better posters on here.

 

[Cycling111]

This is the worst Giro d'Italia route I can remember.

There are some big stages next week, but that doesn't justify going into stage 16 without knowing who are the three strongest riders.
The stage distribution is as important, if not more so, than having three very good mountain stages.

The 2023 Giro was boring because they didn't attack, but you knew Roglic, G. Thomas, and Almeida were the strongest in mountain. This year we don't even know that.

We're two weeks into the Giro, and we still don't know for sure who are the three strongest riders.
That's simply ridiculous to force equality between 10-15 riders.

A GT is a race of fatigue and elimination. They can't force a tie by destroying the essence of the GT.

 

[tobydawq]

Also, the reason that Hindley/Carapaz/Landa kept dropping everyone else was not that they attacked (they didn't), but that the next-best climber in the race was a Nibali who practically needed a walking stick by that point.

It honestly makes me sad to see someone of RR's stature try to rewrite the history of the 2022 and 2023 Giri by twisting the facts. I miss the time when he was one of the better posters on here.

You also had Almeida who were closer than Nibali but had a peak yo-yo performance that race until he was taken out by Covid three days before the end.

I think they actually did attack a few times but 1) we didn't really see it because the producers would only show us the likes of Gijs Leemreize and Koen Bouwman out in front and 2) they stopped as soon as they didn't get a gap instantly. Very much unlike Pogacar vs. Vingegaard.

 

[Red Rick]

I miss the time when he was one of the better posters on here.

I miss those times (the Sky era) too

 

[Devil's Elbow]

I miss those times (the Sky era) too

I wasn't an active poster in the Sky era, but whatever.

 

[Extinction]

This is the worst Giro d'Italia route I can remember.

There are some big stages next week, but that doesn't justify going into stage 16 without knowing who are the three strongest riders.
The stage distribution is as important, if not more so, than having three very good mountain stages.

The 2023 Giro was boring because they didn't attack, but you knew Roglic, G. Thomas, and Almeida were the strongest in mountain. This year we don't even know that.

We're two weeks into the Giro, and we still don't know for sure who are the three strongest riders.
That's simply ridiculous to force equality between 10-15 riders.

A GT is a race of fatigue and elimination. They can't force a tie by destroying the essence of the GT.

Suspense

 

[E_F_]

Suspense

The suspense is killing me!

 

[Gigs_98]

The only stage that has underwhelmed so far has been stage 3. The rest has more or less been in line with expectations. Crashes towards Tirana, Napoli and Siena were unfortunate, but the stages were fine apart from that.

It would have been welcome with another straightforward shootout in addition to Marsia, like Crispiero which could easily be added to stage 8, and I would have loved if the second ITT was twice the length (and dry!), but I think it should be noted that a fair amount of the stages have (slightly) overdelivered. It's been a fine race so far, at least in aspects other than a normal MTF wrestle.

I don't think some of the stages overdelivering changes much of my criticism of the route. If we were in for the final week of the 2016 Giro I would agree that we would be on pace for a great edition, but the very problem of this route is that I expect the final 8 days to suck. My dislike for the route comes from thinking that the first two weeks would have to be amazing to legitimize the boring route of the last 8 days, and even though it has been a decent Giro it has been far from amazing.

The only thing that could vindicate the route is if stages 15, 17 and 19 end up much better than I fear and tbh, especially with stages 17 and 19 I at least have some hope considering the gc field has been a bit more aggressive than anticipated. But if that doesn't happen I'm not gonna sit here saying the route was actually alright because Bernal made a little dig on San Pellegrino on stage 11.

 

[Netserk]

The criticism I responded to was especially about the first 13/14 stages.

 

[ashhutch1997]

I was being sarcastico. It's unpardonable that the Saturday of the second weekend there isn't a mega-mountain GC stage. People work during the week, so give them something exciting to watch during the weekend! Vegni is incompetent and so it boggles the mind how he is in charge.

100% agree

 

[Cycling111]

This is the worst Giro d'Italia route I can remember.

There are some big stages next week, but that doesn't justify going into stage 16 without knowing who are the three strongest riders.
The stage distribution is as important, if not more so, than having three very good mountain stages.

The 2023 Giro was boring because they didn't attack, but you knew Roglic, G. Thomas, and Almeida were the strongest in mountain. This year we don't even know that.

We're two weeks into the Giro, and we still don't know for sure who are the three strongest riders.
That's simply ridiculous to force equality between 10-15 riders.

A GT is a race of fatigue and elimination. They can't force a tie by destroying the essence of the GT.

If the route of this Giro hadn't been such rubbish, at this stage we would know who are the three strongest riders and the entire top 10 wouldn't be leading the peloton along with the sprinters.


Coincidentally, they crashed on a circuit today, and that's what I mentioned.

One of the problems with trying to deceptively tie 15 riders is that these stages will be more dangerous because everyone thinks they can win or make the podium on stage 16, when in reality, most won't even be able to finish fifth.