The 2025 Tour of the Alps route takes in five stages across Northern Italy and Austria, for a total of 739km that packs in a huge 14,700m of climbing in less than a week.
Every stage features at least 2,400m of climbing, with a maximum of 3,750m of elevation coming on stage 2, though stage 4 is rated as the hardest by the organisers.
As a warm-up race for the Giro d'Italia, this a real climbers race, but that doesn't mean it's all for the GC contenders, as some of the less difficult stages will suit opportunistic attackers too. But certainly to be in contention for the overall, riders will need to be consistent every day – there's no room to lose time with just five stages on offer.
The racing starts on Monday in San Lorenzo Dorsino in Trentino, and the race will head north east from there, culminating with the final day in Lienz, Austria.
Stage 1: San Lorenzo Dorsino - San Lorenzo Dorsino (148.5km)
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(Image credit: Tour of the Alps)
(Image credit: Tour of the Alps)
Stage 1 starts and finishes in San Lorenzo Dorsino, in the Paganella region near the Brenta Dolomites, and takes in the Passo Campo Carlo Magno and Passo del Durone as the day's key climbs, before a 9km ascent back into the town for the finish. The final climb has gradients of 7-8% towards its summit.
Stage 2: Mezzolombardo - Sterzing (178km)
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(Image credit: Tour of the Alps)
(Image credit: Tour of the Alps)
Stage 2 sees the race head north from Trentino into Südtirol with the longest stage of the race at 178km. There are only two categorised climbs – the cat. 1 Petersberg in the first 40km, then the cat. 3 Obertelfes that is climbed twice in the finale – but as you can see from the profile, it's up an down all day, though the finish is flat.
Stage 3: Sterzing - Innichen (145.5km)
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(Image credit: Tour of the Alps)
(Image credit: Tour of the Alps)
The difficulty steps up on stage 3, with the race passing over 1,700m altitude for the first time atop the cat. 1 Furkelpass, and then tackling the Verschachberg in the final 20km. The finish comes at the end of a descent, so confidence on the downhills will be key here.
Stage 4: Sillian - Obertilliach (162.7km)
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(Image credit: Tour of the Alps)
(Image credit: Tour of the Alps )
The organisers have designated stage 4 as the hardest stage of the race, and it's easy to see why. Leaving Sillian, in Austria, the road is uphill straight away to climb up to the 1,755m-high Lago di Misurnia – and the climbs isn't even classified. From there, there's a number of steep climbs on the way to Obertilliach, with the Kartitscher Sattel peaking out with 7km to go and then a kick up to the finish line, with already 3,200m of climbing in the legs.
Stage 5: Lienz - Lienz (112.2km)
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(Image credit: Tour of the Alps)
(Image credit: Tour of the Alps)
The final stage 5 is shorter and punchier, so it could either be a day for the opportunists, or the last chance to sort out the GC. After a flat start, the peloton will tackle the cat. 1 Bannberg twice, and then the Stronach climb in the last 15km before a flat finish in Lienz.
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Matilda is an NCTJ-qualified journalist based in the UK who joined Cyclingnews in March 2025. Prior to that, she worked as the Racing News Editor at GCN, and extensively as a freelancer contributing to Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Velo, Rouleur, Escape Collective, Red Bull and more. She has reported from many of the biggest events on the calendar, including the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France Femmes, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. She has particular experience and expertise in women's cycling, and women's sport in general. She is a graduate of modern languages and sports journalism.
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