PREVIEW | Giro d'Italia 2025 stage 9

The Corsa Rosa is the first Grand Tour of the season and this year it will include a start in a nation that will for the first time in it's history host a Grand Tour, Albania; and also several mountain stages in it's second half whilst the first half will feature some tricky stages including one that goes through a lot of the Strade Bianche course. We preview stage 9.

Stage 9 will be one of the key moments of the race, as the riders take on a 'mini Strade Bianche'. This will be a day where the overall classification will be tested in a terrain they are not favoured in - where crashes, splits and tactics are often key. It will feature climbing and the pressure will be on so expect the pink jersey contenders to be around the front, but there will simultaneously be a lot of riders aiming for a prestigious stage win.

The riders will tackle dozens of kilometers of gravel roads (30 in total), plenty short and steep climbs and will be ending the stage in the city of Siena, which also hosts the finale of Strade Bianche, with the famous ascent of the Via Santa Caterina included.

It won't be the 'full thing' as the riders tackle in March, but it will be hard enough to create the chaos and damagte that is expected. From 68 to 34 kilometers to go it will be full high-octane racing before, between and during the gravel sectors which are not only tricky/narrow but also with a few climbs and descents all throughout it... It ends with a 1 kilometer climb of 7%.

Here the race can blow up. Later on, the fight for the stage win continues, and bigger differences can be made with direct attacks, not just the chaos, because with 14 kilometers to go the riders tackle Colle Pinzuto which is 450 meters long at 12% at the end of the sector. There is then a set of rolling roads before the well-known finale into Siena.

That's right the Piazza del Campo will be seen, the finish line will be at the location we all know which is a true privilege. The ascent to Via Santa Caterina needs no introduction, and it will be climbed inside the final kilometer right before the finish, with it's 16% ramps providing the spectacular finale for the first week of the race.

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