After winning three stages and finishing twice in the top ten of the general classification in its first two participations to the Giro d’Italia, Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux now knows what the Tour of Italy 2023 will look like. Last Monday the parcours of the next Giro was revealed in Milano, in presence of Simone Petilli, Lorenzo Rota and of sports director Valerio Piva.
The 106th edition starts on May 6th in Abruzzo and ends in Rome on May 28th after 3448.6 kilometer of racing. The three weeks contain seven mountain stages from which five uphill finishes, three time trials summing up to 70 kilometer and a passage through Switzerland.
The first leader’s jersey will be awarded after a time trial of 18.4 kilometer in the Chieti province. After several hilly stages, for example to Lago Laceno and Napoli, the first mountain top finish takes place on day seven on the slopes of the Gran Sasso d’Italia (2135 meter) in the Apennins. The second individual time trial of 33.6 kilometer after nine days precedes the first rest day.
During the second week the peloton will head north in Italy to reach Switzerland on day thirteen, with a mountain top finish in Crans-Montana after conquering the Col du Grand San Bernard (2469 meter), the Cima Coppi or roof of this edition. The second and last rest day takes place after the fifteenth stage around Bergamo.
Three of the five mountain top finishes are scheduled during the final week, respectively towards Monte Bondone (stage 16), Val di Zoldo (stage 18) and Tre Cime di Lavaredo (stage 19). Last named is considered the queen stage, passing over the Passo Campolongo, Passo Valporola, Passo Giau and the Passo Tre Crochi in the Dolomites.
The battle for the pink jersey will end with an 18.6 kilometer time trial towards the top of the Monte Lussari and an entirely flat stage through the streets of the capital.
Aike Visbeek (Performance Manager) :
« The parcours of the Giro d’Italia 2023 seems to be ideal for a team like ours, I mean a team which uses an agressive style of racing to seize opportunities. I expect the many time trial kilometers to be decisive and as a consequence the battle between the GC riders in the mountains to be less intense. So I predict many nice chances for breakaway attempts. Our offensive ambitions will play a central role in the composition of our team for the next Giro. We also need to bring a sprinter who appreciates hilly profiles. In May, Biniam Girmay made his breakthrough in the Giro on the occasion of his Grand Tour debut. It is our intention to give our new generation of riders the opportunity to follow in his footsteps. »
Valerio Piva (Sports Director):
« The parcours of the next Tour of Italy is mainly within the borders, except for a short but beautiful passage through Romandie. It is mostly concentrated in the centre of the country, followed by a solid block in the Alps in the north of the country. The final in Rome will be magical, thanks to a criterium through the streets which reflect the rich history of the capital. For me and for every Italian person this Giro is a special event and this edition is no exception. »
« As usual, the Giro offers three difficult weeks. Not less than six stages exceed 200 kilometer, there will be three time trials and their importance is not to underestimate. At first sight, there are not many opportunities for pure sprinters. A lot of climbing has to be done and from the first week there’s a very important stage for the GC riders on Gran Sasso. The profiles of the stages vary brutally, this is typical for the Giro and requires a certain experience to manage it well. »
« For these reasons we’d like to build a balance between experimented riders and young talents. Now the course is known, we can prepare this first Grand Tour of 2023 goal-oriented during our first rider meetings this week. In my opinion we can take on the next edition with a proactive strategy such as in 2021, when our agressive racing style resulted in a victory thanks to Taco Van der Hoorn. »
