Race news
'If Pogacar decides to ride the Giro, he'd be very welcome' says new race director Guercilena
Luca Guercilena hopes his first Giro d’Italia route as race director will tempt some of the peloton’s biggest stars to Italy, with the return of the mighty Monte Zoncolan, two time trials and a stage that features two ascents of the Passo del Mortirolo either side of the Passo di Gavia.
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On Tuesday, the route for the 110th edition of the Giro d'Italia was announced, with the race kicking off in Trieste on 8 May and finishing in Rome on 30 May, covering 3,418.9km and 50,250m of elevation gain.
The balanced route features eight summit finishes and 56.9km of time trial distance across two stages.
The Grande Partenza takes place in Trieste with an early visit to neighbouring Slovenia. Naturally, Guercilena was asked about 2024 Giro winner Tadej Pogačar and his desire to see the Slovenian return to the Italian Grand Tour.
“Tadej is the star of the sport at the moment. Of course we'd love to see him at the Giro,” Guercilena said.
“The stage in Slovenia has been included for the Slovenian cycling fans. Slovenia is producing some great riders at the moment, so it seems right to visit Slovenia in 2027. If Pogačar decides to ride the Giro, he'd be very welcome.”
While Pogačar has been touted as more likely to aim for redemption at the Vuelta a España alongside his bid for a sixth Tour de France title, both Remco Evenepoel and Paul Seixas have left the door open for a visit to Italy next May, alongside UAE teammate Isaac del Toro.
“We hope to attract some of the biggest names in the peloton," Guercilena said.
"We hope that iconic stages like the one that climbs the Mortirolo twice and the Gavia, then the finish on the Zoncolan, inspire the riders and want to have legendary stages like that on their palmares.”
Guercilena, who took over as Giro race director in September, after years as general manager of Lidl-Trek, believes his experience has given him a different perspective in terms of designing a route.
“After years of studying the Giro route to try to understand how to win it as a team manager, now I'm using my experience to understand how to make it a better race,” Guercilena told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The first key tests come in the opening week in central Italy, with summit finishes in Sassotetto and Monte Livata either side of the mountain time trial to Campo di Giove.
Guercilena believes these stages will help establish early differences but also play their part as the race grows older.
“The stages to Sassotetto, the mountain time trial and then the finish at Monte Livata are key stages that will force riders to go deep and so mean any differences in ability will be revealed in the final week.”
“This Giro route needs careful energy management during the whole race for whoever hopes to win it.”
The route also includes a 37.3km pan-flat time trial from Monza to Milan, providing an opportunity for the specialists to gain ground on their rivals. Guercilena highlighted the variety of stages and his aim to design a balanced route.
“I think it's a very balanced route, between the hardest mountain stages and the 'easier' stages. That means all the riders have a chance to gain time on their GC rivals at some point in the race,” he said.
While the time trials will be crucial, major differences can also be made in the third week with a double ascent of the Mortirolo and the Passo Gavia on stage 16, before summit finishes at Madonna di Campiglio and Monte Zoncolan.
