The southernmost edition in the history of the Giro Next Gen gets underway with an all-Calabrian opening stage, a 168-kilometre journey from Reggio Calabria to Vibo Valentia. The capital of Calabria returns to the Corsa Rosa 21 years after hosting the opening prologue of the 2005 Giro d’Italia.
Stage 1 gets off to a rolling start in Reggio Calabria, with the peloton heading north along the Ionian coast to Locri. The riders then tackle the Valico della Limina (4.1 km at 6.7%), the day’s main obstacle, before crossing the Gioia Tauro plain.
In the finale, the road rises gently towards Mileto, where the first KOM of the race is located, before the stage concludes in Vibo Valentia after a completely flat final eight kilometres.
Given his recent results and the nature of the stage, Davide Donati (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe Rookies) ticks all the boxes to be considered the standout favourite. The Italian will face stiff competition from Aubin Sparfel (Decathlon CMA CGM Development), Seth Dunwoody (Bahrain Victorious Development), Aldo Taillieu (Visma | Lease a Bike Development), Jesper Stiansen (Tudor U23), Alessio Delle Vedove (XDS Astana Development), Niccolò Arrighetti (General Store-Essegibi-F.lli Curia) and Riccardo Lorello (SC Padovani Polo Cherry Bank).
Reggio Calabria – Vibo Valentia, 168 km
Start time: 12:25 PM
Official start (km 0): 12:45 PM
Expected finish: around 4:30 PM
TV: The race showcasing the brightest talents in world cycling will be broadcast live on the Discovery+ and HBO Max streaming platforms from 2:30 PM. Italian viewers will be able to follow the action through RaiSport HD, which will air a daily 60-minute highlights programme. For Stage 1, the appointment is at 10:45 PM.
