After two days with a high difficulty coefficient, altimetrically speaking, the third stage of the Giro d’Italia 2024 winks at the sprinters. The fraction scheduled for Monday, May 6, starting in Novara and finishing in Fossano, in fact presents very few complicated sections, at least as far as the uphill road is concerned, but the prediction is not entirely in favor of pure sprinters, since the final sector is to be defined as nervous to say the least. The GC men will therefore have to handle the various racing situations that may arise over the 166 kilometers planned with particular care.

Route Stage 3 Giro d’Italia 2024

The third stage, from Novara to Fossano, of 166 kilometers and 750 meters of elevation gain, takes place between the provinces of Novara, Vicenza, Alessandria, Asti and Cuneo. After two stages dedicated to climbers and classics men, the Giro presents its first finish for sprinters, but watch out, however, for the finish that could also lend itself to some hand-wringing since it will be slightly uphill.

After the start in Novara, the first 50 kilometers will be totally flat and will serve the breakaway to take off. Having crossed the Po River and entered the province of Alessandria, the riders will face at kilometer 55.7 the short and pedalable Lu climb (3.4 kilometers at 3.8 percent), a fourth-category GPM. From there, in 20 kilometers, they will reach the first flying finish of the day, set in Abbazia, hamlet of Masio, which will award points for the Maglia Ciclamino. The next 70 kilometers will be mostly flat, with the presence of only one tear, not classified Grand Prix of the Mountain, which, in 1.7 kilometers, will present an average gradient of 4.2 percent. At kilometer 97.1 here is the Intergiro flying finish, which will most likely be the preserve of the men in the breakaway.

Entering the province of Cuneo, the scenery will change slightly and the technical difficulties of the Langhe will peep through. At kilometer 143, a 1.2-kilometer sprint at 6.1 percent will lead the riders to the second flying finish of the day, set in Cherasco, and from there a falsopiano towards Salmour will anticipate a descent that will lead to the foot of the Fossano sprint (1.8 kilometers at 4.2 percent), the last technical difficulty before the likely final sprint into the city center. The Fossano sprint will end just 3 kilometers from the finish line so, if the sprinters’ teams are not well organized, some finisseur might decide to set off and then hope not to be caught. The last 3 km will be practically straight with only one sharp bend 1300 m from the finish, with a wide roadway and a completely asphalt road surface.