Giro d'Italia - Stage 15

Published: 7 May 2024

Stage 15: Manerba del Garda – Livigno (Mottolino) (222km)

After the warmup of the stage 14 time trial for the GC contenders, stage 15 from Manerba del Garda to Livigno might break the race apart.

The 222km stage is the longest in the race and has the most climbing with an enormous 5,400 metres of elevation gain. The route cuts north from the shore of Lake Garda to deep into the Italian Alps with a finish at the popular altitude camp destination of Livigno. On the way the climbs come thick and fast as the altitude kicks up to the finish at Mottolino, which sits at a towering 2,385 metres.

In total there are five categorised climbs. They kick off early, with the category three Lordino climb (7.3km, 4.5%) inside the first 40km and the category 2 Colle San Zeno (13.9km, 6.6%) to establish the breakaway in the first 65km of racing.

After the Colle San Zeno the route takes a long valley road that gradually points up towards the Alps with 65km of gentle climbing. That valley section is the perfect opportunity for any strong breakaway that formed on the first two climbs of the day to gain steam and forge a gap, as the general classification teams either need to place domestiques as satellite support riders in the breakaway or save them for support on the remaining climbs later on.

Those tactical machinations will be crucial come the next climb up the fearsome Passo del Mortirolo (12.6km, 7.6%), which maxes out at 16%. While the riders will tackle the easier side of the Mortirolo, it is nevertheless a stern test.

After a 14km descent the road pitches up again, with two back-to-back category 1 climbs still to come. First there’s the Passo di Foscagno (15.1km at 6.7%) before the final push up to Mottolino (4.7km, averaging 7.3% but getting up to a nasty 19% at its steepest). While the third week once again provides a climb-heavy finale to the corsa rosa,stage 15 could turn the race on its head.

Major Races

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Date	Event	Class
29 Jun - 21 Jul	Tour de France	2.UWT
12 Aug - 18 Aug	Tour de France Femmes	2.WWT
4 May - 26 May	Giro d'Italia	2.UWT
28 Apr - 5 May	Vuelta España Femenina	2.WWT

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