The third week of the Giro d’Italia 2024 starts with a bang. Scheduled for Tuesday, May 21, is the dreaded Livigno – Santa Cristina Val Gardena, which on paper was supposed to measure 206 kilometers in length and have an impressive 4350 meters of positive elevation gain. In the hours before the start, however, weather conditions deteriorated and organizers were forced to cut almost half of the originally planned route. The runners moved to Lasa/Laas with the vehicles of the various teams and from there they set off again to tackle 118 kilometers of the race: the finish, with two very close climbs, remains unchanged.

Route 16 Stage

With the first part, which included the start from Livigno and the ascent to the Giogo di Santa Maria / Umbrailpass, cancelled in its entirety, the riders will take off from Lasa/Laas, in the middle of the road that tends to descend in the direction of Bolzano, where a flying finish line is also positioned. Then entering the final 36 kilometers, it will be back uphill and, with the exception of a short section, will do so all the way to the finish line, initially climbing the 23.3 kilometers of the Pinei Pass, along which they will pass the Intergiro di Fiè allo Sciliar and the flying finish in Siusi allo Sciliar. The long ascent, which has an average gradient of 4.7 percent, will alternate between a tougher initial section of 7500 meters and a more pedalable one of about ten kilometers, concluding with another challenging segment of 6000 meters, where there will also be a point at 15 percent.

Having reached the summit, there will be only twelve kilometers to go, just under five downhill to Ortisei, where the last 7600 meters of the Monte Pana climb (6.1% average gradient) will begin. Of these, the most complicated (and probably the ones where the difference can be made) will be the last two kilometers to the finish in Santa Cristina Val Gardena, which will always be in double digits, above 11% (the average will in fact be 11.8%) and will be opened by a 16% ramp.