Tour de France or Giro d'Italia: Which Grand Tour has the tougher 2027 route?

The Tour de France will cover 3,479km with 53,450 metres of elevation gain in 2027, compared to 3,418.9km and 50,250 metres at the Giro d'Italia. That gives the French race 3,200 additional metres of climbing, despite featuring fewer mountain stages and summit finishes than its Italian counterpart.

The difference is not limited to the mountains. The Tour also places greater emphasis on racing against the clock, with more kilometres of individual time trialling and two predominantly flat tests.

The Tour de France will feature 71 kilometres of individual time trialling in 2027, its highest total since 2012 and 14.1 kilometres more than the Giro d'Italia.

Both Tour time trials are largely flat. The first covers 38km from Blois to Chambord on stage 7, while the second is a 33km test around Toulouse on stage 16, where the short but steep Côte de Pech David provides the main obstacle.

The Giro also features two individual time trials, but only one takes place on predominantly flat terrain. Stage 7 includes a 19.6km uphill test from Sulmona to Campo di Giove, where the relatively gentle gradients could favour riders capable of maintaining an aerodynamic position even as the road rises. The second, on stage 15, takes riders over 37.3km of largely flat roads from Monza to Milan.

That leaves the Tour with two substantial tests suited to the stronger time triallists, while almost a third of the Giro's 56.9 kilometres against the clock comes on an uphill course.

The Giro has more mountain stages and summit finishes, with the first major uphill finish arriving on stage 5 at Sassotetto. Monte Livata follows on stage 9, before Zum Zeri and Piani di Bobbio provide further tests in the second week.

The Tour has just three summit finishes, at the Grand Colombier on stage 9, Les Saisies on stage 11 and the Col du Portet on stage 18. Yet its greater overall elevation gain is reflected in several demanding mountain stages, including the 150km ride to Les Saisies, which features 4,750 metres of climbing.

The Tour's biggest mountain stage comes on stage 18, with 5,400 metres of elevation gain between Pau and the Col du Portet. The riders will tackle the Col du Soulor, Col du Tourmalet and Hourquette d'Ancizan before the final 16km ascent to the finish.

The Giro goes further on stage 16, with 5,700 metres of climbing packed into 192 kilometres from Sondrio to Aprica. The stage includes two ascents of the Mortirolo, with the Passo del Gavia in between, making it the biggest climbing day of either Grand Tour.

Both races save some of their hardest terrain for the final week, although the Giro leaves its last major mountain finish until later.

After the Mortirolo stage, the Italian race returns to the mountains at Madonna di Campiglio on stage 18 before tackling Monte Zoncolan on the penultimate day. The ascent from Ovaro averages 11.9% over 10.1km, leaving the general classification contenders with one final mountain test before the finish in Rome.

The Tour's final mountain stages come on consecutive days in the Pyrenees, with the summit finish on the Col du Portet on stage 18 followed by a stage to Laruns featuring 4,300 metres of climbing and the Col de Marie Blanque.

That leaves the Tour with a relatively straightforward penultimate stage to Libourne, while the Giro could still see the pink jersey change hands on the Zoncolan just 24 hours before the race ends.

The route is only part of the equation. How hard a Grand Tour becomes also depends on the pace set by the riders, and recent editions suggest a noticeable difference between the two races.

Across the past five years, the Tour de France has generally been faster than the Giro d'Italia. In 2026, the gap was particularly striking: the Tour averaged 43.33km/h over three weeks, against 41.58km/h at the Giro.

Davide Piganzoli (Visma | Lease a Bike) experienced the difference first hand in 2026, when he rode both Grand Tours.

Speaking to Bici.pro after the Tour, the Italian described a race in which the peloton rarely eased off.

“At the Tour, it is difficult to find a quiet moment,” Piganzoli said. “There was never a day when we really rested. At the Giro, there were moments when the peloton slowed down. Here, that hardly ever happened.”

The difference was just as noticeable on the climbs.

“At the Giro, when I went to the front and set the pace, there might be five or ten riders left,” Piganzoli said. “Here, I looked behind and there were still 50.”

So which route is tougher? The Tour has the edge in total distance, elevation gain and time trialling, while the Giro features more mountain stages, more summit finishes and the single biggest climbing day of either race.

The numbers point towards the Tour, but they only tell part of the story. Its consistently higher average speeds suggest the French race could be even more demanding in practice, with Piganzoli's experience illustrating just how much the intensity of the racing can add to the challenge.