2025 Giro d’Italia Final Week Route Preview: The final week of all Grand Tours is the most important and usually the most decisive, and in the case of the Giro d’Italia, the hardest. The 2025 giro is still wide open with no obvious winner, yet. We dissect the stages of the last week and look forward to the excitement on the road to Roma.
Stage 16 – Tuesday 27 May
The rider’s will be glad of the rest day, as stage 16 has the most amount of climbing of this year’s Giro d’Italia. With five Alpine mammoth climbs, the GC should get a good shake up over the 5,000 metres of climbing.
After 67 kilometres and the La Fricca climb, there are no flat roads. Next comes the steeper Candrai climb (10km at 7%), followed by the much easier Cat 3 Vigo Cavedine.
The summit finish of San Valentino
After 150 kilometres and 50 kilometres to go, there is the Santa Barbara (12.7 kilometres at 8.3%), with its steepest sections at 14%. The San Valentino climb from Brentonico it 18.2 kilometres long at an average of 6.2%. It is much harder than it sounds, it is a pass in three sections with steep ramps of up to 14%. The GC contenders will have to bring the top form.
Stage 17 – Wednesday 28 May
Stage 17 profile
The seventeenth stage has the extremely tough Passo del Mortirolo (12.6km at 7.6%) on its route. From the start in San Michele all’Adige, the stage starts to climb almost immediately. Never really steep, but enough to cause some problems. After 54 kilometres is the start proper of climb of the Passo del Tonale (15.2km at 6%), this is the twelfth time it has been used in the Giro d’Italia.
Map and Mortirolo
After a long descent, the riders hit the Passo del Mortirolo, the only Cat 1 climb of the day, but a very popular one over the years. The Mortirolo is 12.6 kilometres at 7.6%, but the steep finish has sections of up to 16%. After the descent, it is a hard road via Le Motte to Bormio.
Stage 18 – Thursday 29 May
If there are any sprinters left in the 2025 Giro d’Italia, they have the chance of a win today. The middle of the stage is difficult with the last climbs of the Alps, but the finale is made for the fast-men. It’s also a short stage of only 144 kilometres.
Stage 18 – Not that easy
The start is in Morbegno, in the Lombardy Bitto Valley and is famous for its cheese. The peloton follows the shores of Lake Como, before three climbs of the Parlasco (Cat 2), Colle Balisio (Cat 3) and Ravellino (Cat 3). These climbs shouldn’t be a problem for the fast-men on the road to Cesano Maderno, where the Giro has held the final time trial in 1979 and 2008.
Stage 19 – Friday 30 May
Stage 19 profile
This is perhaps the toughest stage of the 2025 Giro. Just 166 kilometres long, but with 4,950 metres of climbing. Along with stages 16 and 20, stage 19 is a five star stage. There are five climbs and the first one comes almost immediately from the start, the Croce Serra (11.3km at 4.6%)
Stage 19 map
After 50 kilometres there is the Col Tzecore (16km at 7.7%), a Cat 1 climb. It is the first of three mountains of more than 15 kilometres. The Col de Saint-Pantaléon (16.5 kilometres at 7.2% with ramps of up to 12%). There is a descent of about 20 kilometres to the foot of the Col de Joux (15.1km at 6.9%), French name, but still in Italy. There are six kilometres to the Antagnod (9.4km at 4.6%), which summits 4.5 kilometres from the finish in Champoluc.
Stage 20 – Saturday 31 May
Stage 20 profile
The penultimate stage of the Giro d’Italia crosses a number of mythical climbs and finishes uphill. The stage has four climbs, the last three of which are in the second half of the stage. The Corio (6.5km at 3.7%) and Colle del Lys (13.7km at 4.2%) are ‘easy’ compared to the final two mountains on the stage.
Stage 20 map
That penultimate climb is a killer. The last 8 kilometres of the Colle delle Finestre (18.4km at 9.2%!) are on a rough surface and extremely steep. It is the Cima Coppi, the highest mountain climb of 2025. This is followed by a descent of 12 kilometres and the final climb of 16 kilometres at an average of 3.8% to Sestriere. At that point we should know the winner of this year’s Giro d’Italia.
Stage 21 – Sunday 1 June
The final stage of the Giro d’Italia goes through the capital City of Rome. In the last 75 kilometres, the riders will cover a 9.5 kilometre circuit through the city centre, past the Fori Imperiali and the Colosseum.
Stage 21
The start on Sunday the 1st of June is from the Vatican City to honour the late Pope Francis, who died at the end of April at the age of 88 and was a big fan of all sports. From the Vatican, the race heads to the Tyrrhenian coast, to then come back to Rome again after 40 kilometres. The race then concludes on the circuit. Again there will be a bunch sprint before the final podium celebrations.
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