The Giro d’Italia 2024 is nearing its conclusion and for the nineteenth stage offers a mixed, but still not to be underestimated, stage. In the mere 157 kilometers from Mortegliano to Sappada, in fact, almost 3,000 meters of elevation gain will be accumulated, much of it concentrated in the second half of the route, where three GPMs will be climbed that are not excessively long, but that after three weeks of hard work could also make some difference among the men in the rankings. In any case, there is a good chance that the breakaways of the day will be the ones to play for success in the location that became famous for Stephen Roche’s “betrayal” of Roberto Visentini at the 1987 Giro, although of course no scenario can be ruled out.

This stage is totally in Friuli and runs almost entirely in the province of Udine, with the start set in Mortegliano, from where the road will immediately begin to climb slightly, but almost always steadily, for about thirty kilometers to San Daniele del Friuli. Some ups and downs and slightly uphill sections will also be encountered over the next 60 kilometers, along which the flying finish line of Peonis will also be passed, but it is only once in Paularo, where the Intergiro sprint will be placed, that the first GPM of the day will be faced, the short and really challenging Passo Duron (4.4 km at 9.7%, max. 18%), where something might start to move both among the eventual breakaways and the big guys.

This will be followed by a descent, quite technical in the first part, to the intermediate sprint of Cercivento, past which the GPM of Sella Valcalda (5.4 km at 6.5%, max. 12%) will immediately begin, easier than the previous one, but still with a central section that will have gradients between 8% and 9%. Quick and narrow descent to Comeglians to enter the last 28 kilometers of the race, much of it uphill, although the real GPM of Cima Sappada (8.3 km at 4.8%, max. 15%) will begin in Forni Avoltri, at -14.5 from the finish. The climb can be divided into three parts: an initial 3000 meters at 4.6%, a central one of about two kilometers where the road will level out, passing inside the Carnia Arena (cross-country skiing and biathlon facility), and the final wall of just over three kilometers at 8.6%.

A segment, the latter, that could make the difference for stage success, not least because at the finish line there will be only 6200 meters to go in Sappada. Of these, the first 4200 will be of slight descent on the bike path, then between -2 and the last kilometer there will be a final small tear at 5.4% with a 10% spike, before a final stretch again of slight descent to the finish.