The Giro d’Italia Next Gen, formerly known as the Giro Under 23, will this year be organised by RCS Sport in collaboration with the Italian Cycling Federation and under the patronage of the Ministry of Sport and Youth.

From Aglié (Turin) in Piedmont to Piazza dell’Unità in Triest, from Sunday 11 to Sunday 18 June: eight stages and 12,000 metres of elevation gain. The Giro Next Gen is the world’s most important event for cyclists under the age of 23 who are looking to become pros.

Over the years, this competition has propelled renowned champions in the likes of Moser (1971), Battaglin (1972), Baronchelli (1973), Corti (1977), Belli (1990), Casagrande (1991), Pantani (1992) and Simoni (1993), as well as Sivakov, Vlasov, Pidcock, Ayuso, Hayter. The last Italian to win the race was Mattia Cattaneo in 2011. The Under-23s used to be referred to as amateurs, but today they are in fact professionals: World Tour teams are obliged to have Development or Continental teams, where the talents of the future are trained for what will be their future occupation. And this explains why the routes are not too different from those of the pros.

The 2023 route runs from Piedmont to Friuli-Venezia Giulia, with a promise from the organisation to also visit central and southern Italy in the coming years. The competition starts with a short time trial in Aglié, followed by two stages for breakaways in Cherasco and Manerba, three for sprinters in Magenta, Povegliano and Trieste, and two uphill finishes on the Stelvio Pass and the Cansiglio Plateau. The most iconic climb of the Giro Next Gen is without a doubt the Stelvio Pass, which will be tackled from Bormio on the Lombardy side, where the fourth stage will end. This is Fausto Coppi’s climb, since the Giro discovered it back in 1953 thanks to a great performance from the Campionissimo. And it is only fair to start from here, from history, to convey to the Under 23s how deep the roots of cycling actually are.