Cassano d’Adda → Andalo | 202.0 km | mountain
A relentless rouleur stage will squeeze tired legs and expose any weaknesses that riders have been hiding. With opportunities for ambitious breakaway specialists.
Over just 113 brutal kilometers from Bellinzona to Carì, the sixteenth stage turned into a short, fierce mountain stage in which the general classification contenders battled it out amongst themselves. The final climb to Carì, over eleven kilometers at an average of nearly eight percent, suited Vingegaard perfectly once again. The Dane from Team Visma | Lease a Bike turned his team’s late control into a dividend with a hard acceleration on the final climb, dropped the rest, and reached the summit after a solo of just over six kilometers, securing his fourth stage victory of this Giro and his first in the pink jersey. Behind him, Felix Gall limited the damage as “best of the rest” and finished second again, this time ahead of Jai Hindley. Netcompany INEOS put Egan Bernal entirely at the service of Thymen Arensman; the Colombian dragged for a long time on the final climb, after which Arensman sprinted to fourth place, reinforcing his podium ambitions. Derek Gee, Davide Piganzoli, Bernal himself, and Michael Storer rounded out the top eight on a day when Vingegaard only strengthened his grip on the general classification.
The stage from Cassano d’Adda to Andalo will ease the race back into the high ground. It will leave the plains on a long run north, the road rising only gently as it tracks towards the foothills. Early on, waves of rolling terrain and some more sustained rises will already stretch the field, offering launchpads for ambitious breakaway hunters while the big teams decide how much energy they will spend in control. The peloton will pass in and out of narrow valleys and small towns, the overall altitude line creeping upwards even when the gradients do not look alarming.
After the midway point the road will rarely be flat, the profile turning into a staircase of drags and short descents that will sap the legs before the final third. Approaching Trentino, the stage will tilt more insistently, and the bunch will funnel into the tougher finishing sequence around Andalo. San Lorenzo Dorsino, 2.9 km at 6.4% and cresting at km 171, will act as the natural fuse: a place where breakaway riders will try to shake off companions. From there the route will keep climbing in steps towards the plateau above Andalo, with little respite and gradients that will bite most for those already on the limit.
The run-in will favour riders who can produce repeated efforts on medium-length climbs rather than pure alpine specialists or out-and-out puncheurs. The rolling, back‑loaded nature of the day will also give a strong breakaway a genuine chance to stay clear. The finish in Andalo will reward resilient riders with a good kick—those who will manage their efforts through a long, attritional day and still produce one last acceleration on the final ramps.
Key Climbs:
25°C | Sunny | 3 km/h ESE
From the flag drop the tempo will be high, with punchy climbers and breakaway specialists trying to force a move before the first real ascent. The long middle phase, with its succession of rolling climbs, will favour a sizeable group up the road, especially as some teams with tired sprinters or riders hunting stages will have little interest in chasing. GC squads will likely keep things on a relatively proper leash, but after the previous day’s effort they might also be happy to let a non-threatening move breathe, provided no GC rivals sneak in.
The race will really sharpen on San Lorenzo Dorsino (2.9 km at 6.4% at kilometre 171), where pure climbers in the break will try to shed companions before the run towards Andalo. GC teams could use this climb to accelerate and isolate rivals, turning the finale into a reduced group of leaders plus a thinning break. The final ramps into Andalo, with their changes in gradient, will then suit riders who can launch short, sharp accelerations; a late solo from a strong climber or a small uphill sprint from a select group both look like plausible outcomes.
GC teams will probably let a strong move go.
The breakaway will almost certainly brim with stage-hunters. Riders like Giulio Ciccone, Jasper Stuyven, Filipo Ganna, Thomas Gonzalez Silva, Jonathan Narvaez, Jan Christen, Antonio Morgado, Alexander Vlasov, Simone Gualdi, Ludovico Crescioli, Florian Stork, Eduardo Zambanini, Andreas Leknessund, Michael Valgren, Corbin Strong, Ben Turner, Alberto Bettiol and Diego Ulissi will relish a medium‑mountain day where timing and punch matter as much as pure watts.
1. ⭐⭐⭐ Thomas Gonzalez Silva
2. ⭐⭐⭐ Filipo Ganna
3. ⭐⭐ Jonathan Narvaez
4. ⭐⭐ Andres Leknessund
5. ⭐⭐ Diego Ulissi
6. ⭐⭐ Florian Stork
7. ⭐ Jasper Stuyven
8. ⭐ Jan Christen
9. ⭐ Antonio Morgado
Filipo Ganna
Launches a steady but relentless acceleration on flat within the penultimate climbs, drops rivals, then defends a measured solo gap to the summit.
