Analysis: Everything you need to know about the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, the climb that could decide the 2023 Giro d'Italia
Cycling
Today, Friday, May 26th, the Giro d'Italia may be decided in an impressive high mountain stage that ends at the mythical summit of Tre Cime di Lavaredo. It is a Croix de Fer style pass (if we include Tre Croci), with several chained summits, although in the case of the shorter Italian one, with the three peaks much closer to each other;
The first one, the Passo Tre Croci leaving from Cortina d'Ampezzo, is less hard, although considering that the riders are coming from the Passo Grau (9.8 km at 9.3%), nothing will be too hard at that point.
Thus, Tre Croci is 8 kilometers at 7.2% with the summit at 13 kilometers from the finish line. With no descent, a small flat pass on a plateau leads to a terrible 11.4% kilometer with arrival at Lago di Antorno. From there, downhill to Pedaggio and the beginning of what is officially known as Tre Cime di Lavaredo, which has 3.7 kilometers above 11%. (10.7% the first km, 13.1% the second, 12.7% the third and 12.4% the final). Ramps above up to 17%.
Primoz Roglic and João Almeida have no excuse. They have plenty of ground to take a shot at the maglia rosa of a Geraint Thomas who, so far, has shown himself to be the most consistent rider in this Giro d'Italia 2023.
NIBALI IN THE YEAR 2013.
The last time the mythical Italian pass was reached was in 2013, when under heavy snowfall Vincenzo Nibali won the Three Peaks over three Colombian riders, as he came in ahead of Fabio Duarte, Rigoberto Urán and Carlos Betancur. The differences were not excessive, as they all came in within 21 seconds of each other. It must be said that Vincenzo had sentenced that Giro in his favor up until that point.
@Sirotti
HISTORIC WINNERS AT TRE CIME DI LAVAREDO.
- Felice Gimondi (Italy) 1968
- José Manuel Fuente (Spain) 1974
- Beat Breu (Switzerland) 1981
- Lucho Herrera (Colombia) 1989
- Riccardo Riccò (Italy) 2007
- Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) 2013
WHAT COULD HAPPEN BETWEEN THOMAS, ROGLIC AND ALMEIDA?
It is not easy to know what is going to happen in a stage as hard as the one proposed today by the Giro d'Italia with more than 5000 meters of elevation gain and 150 final kilometers in which three passes are chained before facing the Tre Cime di Lavaredo. Jumbo-Visma should take control of the race for Primoz Roglic if it doesn't want INEOS Grenadiers to impose its usual train to favor Geraint Thomas. João Almeida has shown that, if he has the strength, he has no problem putting his UAE Team Emirates teammates to work.
The pass, because of its hardness at the end, could favor Roglic and not so much less explosive riders like Thomas or Almeida, but with so much hardness it will depend largely on the strength they have at the end. A beautiful stage awaits us.
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Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
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El encadenado es un pepino, ascensiones +2000 y final mítico. El problema es que con los tres en un pañuelo arriesgarán lo justo (salvo oler sangre). Pero la etapa puede dar mucho juego: victoria parcial, montaña, mejorar en la GC y los favoritos x lo menos un combate a un puerto
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