Shorter stages, lesser climbing and two time trials shape the 107th edition of the Giro d’Italia 2024.

The 107th edition of the Corsa Rosa starts in Turin on Saturday, May 4 and ends in Rome with a circuit stage around the Colosseum on Sunday, May 26.

The riders face three weeks of racing. However, RCS Sport have finally followed other Grand Tour and reduced stage distances to try to make the daily racing more exciting, with only four stages over 200km and many around 160km.

The full route was presented in Trento in October during the Gazzetta dello Sport Festival of Sport. 2023 winner Primož Roglič, his Bora-Hansgrohe teammate Jai Hindley, Filippo Ganna, Peter Sagan and two-time winner Vincenzo Nibali were all presented at the route presentation and liked what they saw.

The time trials are on stage 7 in Umbria, with a climb up to the finish in central Perugia after 40.6km and on stage 14 over a flat 31.2km near the foot of Lake Garda.

The mountain finishes start early in the 2024 Corsa Rosa meaning the overall contenders will have to be at their best when they travel to Italy in early May.

The first key stage is on stage 2 to Oropa, with other tough days in the mountain on stage 8 to Prati di Tivo in the southern Apennines and to Cusano Mutri inland from Naples on stage 10.

The final week is packed with climbs, with stage 15 finishing at 2385 metres in Livigno.

After the second rest day the riders climb the Passo dello Stelvio, the highest point in the 2024 Giro d’Italia at 2758 metres and so the Cima Coppi. Sadly the legendary climb come early in the stage followed by a fast valley ride east for an 11%, 2.7km mountain finish at Monte Pana near Santa Cristina in Val Gardena.

Stage 17 includes several climbs and finishes on the Passo Brocon, while stage 19 returns to Sappada to no doubt evoke memories of Stephen Roche’s attack and overall victory in the 1987 Giro d’Italia.

Stage 20 offers a final chance to snatch overall victory with a double climb of Monte Grappa in the Veneto region. The fast descent to the finish could be as decisive as the two climbs.

The 2024 Giro d’Italia winner will be crowned like a Roman Emperor in the centre of Rome, after an environmentally unfriendly 550 km transfer to the capital.