Giro d'Italia - Stage 2

Summit finish will define the second day of the 2024 Giro d'Italia

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Giro d'Italia - Stage 2

Dates 5 May
Race Length 154 kms
Start San Francesco al Campo
Finish Santuario di Oropa (Biella)
Race Category Elite Men

Published: 30 April 2024

Stage 2: San Francesco al Campo – Santuario di Oropa (161km)

Stage 1 of the Giro d’Italia alone would make for a difficult beginning to a Grand Tour, but what makes the opening days of this year’s race so intense is the summit finish to Oropa on stage 2. At 161km the stage is another explosive affair with three categorised climbs packed into the final 50km, the last of which is the climb to the finish in Oropa (11.8 km, 6.2%).

The profile of the finishing climb to Oropa

Oropa might not be the most fearsome peak on the Giro parcours, but it is nevertheless significant in the history of the race and has proved to be deceptively difficult in the past. Famously, Marco Pantani won on top of Oropa in the pink jersey after puncturing at the bottom in 1999. In recent memory, Tom Dumoulin used the climb in 2017 to send a message to his rivals by dropping Nairo Quintana on the climb and cementing a lead in the pink jersey that he went on to win at the end of the race.

Nevertheless, in both of those instances, the Oropa climb came later in the race when the pecking order had been established. This year, the peloton will be full of riders with fresh legs. Additionally, since it doesn’t have the sustained steep slopes of other more challenging climbs, the day could be more on the tactical side as GC riders battle for positioning yet keep their powder dry for the more decisive days down the line. But, then again, Oropa has shown before it is a summit finish ripe for the dramatic. All we know for certain is that there will be attacks and pre-race favourite Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) will head into the stage as the overwhelming favourite for both the stage and the maglia rosa.

The final 1km of the climb hits 11% and could be the perfect launchpad for attacks, and while we might not see the GC complexion fully form on this stage, we will get an idea of who has come into the Giro d’Italia undercooked and with early ground to make up.