Organisers announce full route for 2020 Giro Rosa

Organisers of the 2020 Giro d'Italia Internazionale Femminile have revealed the full route details of the nine-day race, rescheduled for September 11-19. The route will visit the regions of Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, Campania and Puglia through central and southern Italy.

The Giro Rosa is traditionally the marquee stage race of the season, and annually overlaps with the Tour de France in July. It will now take place during the last week of the rescheduled Tour de France. 

The race will include a total of four summit finishes - stage 3 in Assisi, stage 4 in Tivoli, stage 8 at San Marco La Catola and the final stage 9 at Motta Montecorvino. 

Organisers will also include a 170.3km stage from Assisi to Tivoli, longer than the UCI maximum allowed for Women's WorldTour stages.

The UCI announced the revised late-season calendar in May for the Women's WorldTour and it will now include just 12 events from August to November. It will include two stage races and 10 one-day races.

There are no other WorldTour stage races or one-day events held near the Giro Rosa on the calendar, and so the race will be allowed to shine as the biggest stage race in the world for women in September.

"Sport in general and cycling in particular have always been synonymous with self-denial, dedication to a cause, commitment, suffering and love. The difficult period that our society is going through is also being faced thanks to these values. This is why we did not want to abandon the Giro Rosa, we did not want to give up, we fought and made sacrifices so that the magic of the peloton on the roads can be repeated again this year, albeit with a different place on the calendar," said Race Director Giuseppe Rivolta.

"We want the 31st edition of the Giro Rosa to become a symbol of the restart of a country. A chance to get out of the grayness that this year does not seem to want to abandon. The whole world, and with it Italy, have gone through a dramatic period: now there are the conditions to start again. We will do it in complete safety but we will do it. For the respect we owe to the girls, the teams, those who have always believed in us, the sponsors and the public. With the humility and pride that have always characterized us."

Rivolta confirmed that the race will go ahead under the strict COVID-19 health guidelines and protocols set in place by the UCI and regional health authorities.

"Cycling cannot exist without an audience. We want the public on our streets. However, we address an appeal to the public: respect social distancing, wear a mask and take all the measures required by health protocols. By following this path, you are welcome. The Giro Rosa is yours too," Rivolta said.

2020 Giro Rosa - The Route

Stage 1: September 11, Grosseto, 16km

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The Giro Rosa will begin with a team time trial in Grosseto, Tuscany. The stage will offer teams a flat 16km course and an opportunity to present the first leader's jersey to set the tone for the nine-day race. 

Stage 2: September 12, Paganico - Arcidosso, 124.8km

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The 124.8km stage 2 will begin in Paganico and conclude in Arcidosso. The route offers very few flat sections and will include short and steep pitches along with two stretches of gravel located at Cinigiano, which starts at 14.5km and ends at 16km, and then Seggiano, which starts at 108.9km and ends at 113.1km. Seggiano is also the location of the stage's only Queen of the Mountain ascent that peaks at 113.1km, just 12km from the finish line in Arcidosso.

Stage 3: September 13, Santa Fiora - Assisi, 142.2km

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The third stage is characterised by continuous ups and downs that the peloton will tackle for 142.2km towards Assisi. There is a category 3 ascent in San Casciani dei Bagni at the 15-kilometre mark, followed by a lengthy race through undulating terrain that leads over the category 1 climb to the finish in Assisi. 

Stage 4: September 14, Assisi - Tivoli, 170.3km

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It is the longest stage of this Giro Rosa, covering a distance 10km longer than the recommended UCI maximum for Women's WorldTour stages. There is one category 3 climb in Arrone after 70 kilometres of racing. The route then offers the riders a challenging, mostly gradual uphill section before reaching the final, punchy climb to Tivoli.

Stage 5: September 15, Terracina-Terracina, 110.3km

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There are two climbs on course with the first after 50km of racing. The category 2 Madonna della Civita climb is roughly 15 kilometres in length and finishes in Itri. The second climb is much shorter and a category 3 at the 80-kilometre mark in Monte San Biagio. If the sprinters catch back on there, it could be a field sprint back in Terracina.

Stage 6: September 16, Torre del Greco - Nola, 97.5km

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The peloton are treated to a category 3 climb in Sarno at 31km into the race followed by a slight but steady climb towards Monteforte Irpino. They will then contest a downhill and flat to the finish in Nola to conclude the 97.5km day.

Stage 7: September 17, Nola - Maddaloni, 112.5km

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It is a relatively straightforward stage until the peloton reach Caserta at the 82-kilometre mark where they start the climb to Sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo, a steep 6km ascent. The riders will tackle this climb twice, on a final circuit, before descending into Maddaloni.

Stage 8: September 18, Castelnuovo della Daunia - San Marco La Catola, 91.4km

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It is the shortest stage of the Giro Rosa at 91.4km but the peloton will face two steep climbs. The first is at Volturino and then another summit finish at San Marco La Catola.

Stage 9: September 19, Motta Montecorvino - Motta Montecorvino, 109.8km

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The final stage of the Giro Rosa could significantly change the general classification. The organizers have designed a circuit race that includes the Volturno ascent. The peloton will race four laps of 27.5 kilometres, where mountain points are offered on the third lap, then an uphill finish in Motta Montecorvino.