Opinion: At long last the Giro d'Italia Women is in good hands

Organising the women's Giro d'Italia for the first time in more than 35 years, RCS has succeeded in creating an expansive route with a marquee appointment atop Blockhaus

13:46, Wednesday 13th December 2023

George Poole

Junior Writer

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The women's Giro d'Italia has long attracted a star-studded startlist, but has been let down by organisational failures from time to time

The route for the 2024 Giro d'Italia Women was revealed by new race organisers RCS Sport on Tuesday afternoon, which marked a seminal moment for the Italian Grand Tour. For the first time in its history, the race will be organised by the same company who are at the helm of the men's Giro d'Italia.

Rebranded as the Giro d'Italia Women just a couple of months before, there was a sense that this would not be the only measurable change from previous editions of the race, and so it has proved. Following the trend of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, the 2024 edition of the Giro will be headlined by one of the country's most renowned climbs: Blockhaus.

The mammoth mountain was last seen in road racing as the blockbuster finale to stage 9 of the 2022 Giro d'Italia, upon which Jai Hindley asserted his case for the overall title with his stage victory. Coupled with a handful of other major changes, the 2024 edition marks a turning point for the women's edition: at long last, it finally seems as though the Giro is in good hands.

Giro d'Italia Women to benefit from Blockhaus, trusted organisers and a venture south

This race has long been one of the sport's most sought-after titles, drawing riders and teams from across the world to Italy in order to try and stand on the final podium. Amongst its list of winners are the likes of Annemiek van Vleuten, Marianne Vos and Fabiana Luperini.

However, the Giro has also long been plagued by mismanagement and substandard organisation, which has served to diminish its stature and give it the appearance of a ramshackle version of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, since that event started in 2022.

Credit where credit is due, the Giro d'Italia Women - previously Giro Rosa, Giro d'Italia Donne and Giro d'Italia Femminile - led the way in women's sport by committing to the week-long stage racing format, dating back to 1988 when ASO shunned a women's Tour de France, and later could only muster La Course as France's one-day equivalent. But within just a couple of years, the Tour de France Femmes has left the Giro in its wake.

Where the Tour de France Femmes has enjoyed unrivalled public exposure, well-constructed parcours and the benefits of being linked to the men's race, the women's Giro d'Italia has suffered a lack of TV coverage, unimaginative route designs and no direct link to the popular men's equivalent.

But all that is now starting to change, and the race will only be the better for it.

Leaving the pitfalls of its past behind in 2024, the Giro d'Italia Women should be an enriched event for fans at home and abroad to enjoy in equal measure

Following in the footsteps of the Tour de France Femmes and the Vuelta Femenina, the women's Giro will be officially under the same umbrella as the men's race for the first time in 2024. Early signs indicate this is not just a piecemeal offering but an intentional move to bolster both events, with the name change to Giro d'Italia Women a clear move to publicly unify the two.

Whilst many of us may prefer the traditional and mellifluous title of the Giro Donne, there is no denying that the new name will garner greater international recognition and perhaps a bigger platform for the race over time. As too will the ambition of the race to visit illustrious mountains such as Blockhaus.

It must be recognised that this is not entirely new. In fact, the Giro Donne has previously tackled the Monte Zoncolan, one of the most infamous climbs in Italy. However, these high-profile visits have been few and far between, especially under the recent stewardship of Starlight/PMG Sport.

As far as records go back, no women's race has ever raced up Blockhaus and its introduction in 2024 will certainly drum up plenty of excitement, just as the Col du Tourmalet did in the Tour de France Femmes this summer, and Alpe d'Huez is sure to do next year. There should also be no fears of TV coverage missing the action; a failure of the race in the past that caused the Giro Donne to lose its Women's WorldTour status for a year in 2021.

With a new name, a diverse eight-day route and a famous summit finish to look forward to, the Giro d'Italia Women will venture south in 2024. So often restricted to northern Italy, RCS Sport has made sure to cover more of the country in their first year of stewardship, with the second half of the race passing through the middle of the country, even visiting San Marino, and concluding with a stage to L'Aquila on the final day.

However, amongst the swathe of positive steps that the new race organisers have adopted for 2024, it would be remiss of us not to mention the scheduling of the Giro d'Italia Women, which will see the race clash with the men's Tour de France. Not only that, but the Blockhaus stage will fall on the same day that the Tour tackles the Tourmalet and Pla d'Adet.

Read more: Tour de France 2024 route revealed

It is unfortunate timing and will sadly see the Giro likely overshadowed, which will not do the race any favours. It is understood that RCS Sport is in conversations with the UCI to move the event in the future, but for 2024, the first edition under their control will have to overcome this hurdle.

All in all, though, the announcement made on Tuesday should bring excitement and intrigue for fans of women's cycling. Following years of sub-par organisation, unambitious route designs and recently playing second fiddle to the Tour de France Femmes, the Giro d'Italia Women finally has a professional organisation propelling it forward into a new era.

Next year should just be the start, but with the Blockhaus to look forward to and plenty of other dynamic stages, an eventful start it is sure to be.

For more about the 2024 Giro d'Italia Women, including latest news, key information and race history, visit our dedicated race hub.