Preview. From the 11th to the 14th of April the peloton will take on one of it's youngest stage-races: the Giro di Sicilia. Taking place in the Italian island, the four-stage race includes opportunities for all kinds of riders as the Italian calendar is further enriched.
Stage 1 of the race will be an interesting start. A mostly flat stage through the western coast of the island, but with a tough finale. Into Agrigento, the puncheurs and climbers will come to the fore. The summit finish is 3.8 kilometers long at 5.3%. Stage 2 from Canicatti and Vittoria will be a day for the sprinters likely, although it is far from easy. The second half of the way won't be complicated to handle, but the first half sees plenty small climbs which could prove to be an issue for the fast men and their teams to control the race.
Stage 3 is quite similar. Shorter in distance, the 150 kilometers from Enna to Terimini Imerese start off with a section of small climbs which can be raced at high speed. Then follows a technical descent into the north coast of the island after 1100 meters of downhill. The final hour of racing will mostly be flat, but the final 1.3 kilometers are extremely technical and at around 5%.
Stage 1: Marsala - Agrigento, 159 kilometers
Stage 2: Canicatti - Vittoria, 193 kilometers
Stage 3: Enna - Termini Imerese, 150 kilometers
The queen stage, and a proper one. Unlike the modern trend of making mountain stages shorter, in Sicilia things are done different. 216 kilometers in the final day of racing with over 4000 meters of climbing. A very long ascent ending in Floresta (14Km; 4.1%) will warm up the riders. The main ascent of the day will be up Mount Etna, via Due Monti, which is 18.2 kilometers long at 6%.
Then after a steep descent the riders will climb up the volcano once again, but this time around end the climbing much below. Nevertheless, the ascent to Culmine di Scorciavacca is 10.2 kilometers at 6.4% and finishes with only 21 kilometers to go. The way to the finish is almost completely downhill from there, but the run-up to the line in Giarre has some gradient to it.
Stage 4: Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto - Giarre, 216 kilometers
Estimated start and finish times for Giro di Sicilia:
Stage 1: 11:35 - 15:30CET
Stage 2: 10:45 - 15:30CET
Stage 3: 11:45 - 15:30CET
Stage 4: 09:45 - 15:30CET
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Prediction Giro di Sicilia 2023:
*** Damiano Caruso, Rafal Majka
** Alexey Lutsenko, Louis Meintjes, Kobe Goossens
* Samuele Zoccarato, Simone Petilli, Walter Calzoni, Matteo Badilatti, Felix Engelhardt, Sébastien Reichenbach, Diego Ulissi, George Bennett
** Alexey Lutsenko, Louis Meintjes, Kobe Goossens
* Samuele Zoccarato, Simone Petilli, Walter Calzoni, Matteo Badilatti, Felix Engelhardt, Sébastien Reichenbach, Diego Ulissi, George Bennett
Pick: Damiano Caruso
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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