CyclistGiro dItalia 2027 route revealed including Zoncolan, double Mortirolo and Slovenian startHot on the heels of the Tour de Frances route reveal, the Giro dItalia has unveiled its 2027 route.After the foreign starts of 2025 and 2026, the mens race will begin in Italy from the Adriatic city of Trieste. That said, the Grande Partenza will feature a day and a halfs visit to Slovenia, which act as co-host of the races big start for the first time.From there, the race will head around Italy clockwise, passing through the Marche, Abruzzo, Tuscany and Milan before a ferocious final week headlined by a vicious double ascent of the Mortirolo and a summit finish to the Monte Zoncolan before another procession into Rome.Despite the Tour de Frances heavy reliance on time-trials next summer, the Giro has thrown in two ITTs, one uphill and the other a flat test around Milan. The route, however, could be considered more mountainous than the Tours, totalling 50,250m of elevation gain, including seven summit finishes.Giro dItalia 2027 key informationChris AuldDates: Saturday 8th May Sunday 30th MayStart: Trieste,ItalyFinish: Rome, ItalyTotal distance: 3,418kmTotal elevation gain: 50,250mTV coverage: TNT Sports, HBO Max, SBS on Demand, RaiMost wins: Fausto Coppi, Alfredo Binda, Eddy Merckx (five)2026 winner: Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)Giro dItalia 2027 routeThe 2027 Giro dItalia begins just within Italys borders in Trieste. However, much of the opening stage will take place in Slovenia before heading back to Trieste, where the first pink jersey will be handed out. After a full days racing spent across the border the following afternoon, the race returns to Italy on Stage 3, where the peloton begins to make progress southward.The first of the races seven summit finishes comes on Stage 5, a day that will serve as a tribute to Michele Scarponi in the Marche, before an uphill time-trial in Abruzzo to get the GC shuffled once again.After another mountaintop finish at Monte Livata, the second week begins on the outskirts of Rome, where the riders will head toward the Apennines via a summit finish in Zum Zeri. The race then moves north towards Milan, where a weekend of GC action is promised, first with the steep finish to Piani di Bobbio, then a time-trial through the fashion capital.The final week poses a brutal string of mountain stages through the Alps and Dolomites. Stage 16 promises a massive 5,700m of climbing, culminating in a double ascent of the treacherously steep Passo del Mortirolo. For further damage, a mountaintop finish to Madonna di Campiglio will preface one final mountain showdown in Friuli, where the riders will meet the Monte Zoncolan for the first time in six years. From there, the Giro winner will be crowned, with just a procession in Rome left to tackle on Sunday May 30th.In total, the route includes eight hilly stages, six flat, five mountain days and two time-trials, totalling 57km against the clock. The amount of climbing increases on the 2026 route by a few thousand, taking it to 50,250m in 2027.Giro dItalia 2027 stage-by-stage previewStage 1: Saturday 8th May, Trieste Trieste, 172km After several years of bidding, Trieste will finally host the Giros Grande Partenza.The city has been passed across borders for centuries, so its fitting that the race will head from Trieste and into Slovenia almost directly after the flag drops.The opening days final 20km looks punchy, perhaps favouring the sprinters with some tougher legs or even a GC puncheur. Stage 2: Sunday 9th May, Ljubljana Koper, 166kmThe Grande Partenza is only Italian by name, because Stage 2 will be entirely in Slovenia, starting in the capital Ljubljana. The profile dodges any of the mountain passes that shaped Tadej Pogaar, instead favouring the lush hills and wine-making plains of the countrys western side. However, everything concludes with another punchy finale, this time on the way into the coastal city of Koper.The organisers will be hoping that this will be enough to entice Pogaar, but the Slovenian has already shared his 2027 racing schedule, which bypasses the race altogether. Over to you, Primo.Stage 3: Monday 10th May, Cervignano del Friuli Possagno, 163km The first stage entirely on Italian roads comes on Stage 3, which tables yet another finale for tougher sprinters.Stage 4: Tuesday 11th May, Argenta Misano AdriaticoAfter three stages with hilly finales, the sprinting purists will get their chance on Stage 4.The route heads down the coast to Misano Adriatico, where the Giro hasnt finished in almost 30 years. Although its not finishing in the town centre because the finish line will be located on the Autodromo Marco Simoncelli, a frequent stop on the MotoGP circuit.Stage 5: Wednesday 12th May, Filottrano Sassotetto, 139kmStage 5 should tear the GC open, but also act as a tribute to Michele Scarponi as part of the ten-year anniversary of his death.As such, the stage begins in Filottrano, his home town and where he died in a road collision a decade ago. From there, the race will head through his home region toward the mountain peak of Sassotetto. The climb, 13km long and with a 7% average gradient, is furnished with a memorial to Scarponi.Stage 6: Thursday 13th May, Alba Adriatica Lanciano, 148kmAfter our first taste of mountain roads, the Giro throws in one of its typical Tuscan punchy stages. This time, Lanciano is given the right to host the finish, which could go in the direction of a breakaway, puncheurs or the sprinters.Stage 7: Friday 14th May, Sulmona Campo di Giove, 19.6km (ITT)For the first time in years at the Giro since Roglis overall win, incidentally the race will feature an uphill time-trial.Its hardly the Planche des Belles Filles. Instead, this time-trial will be fought out on a 12km-long climb at an average gradient of 4%, so it could require riders to stay in the aero tuck throughout.Stage 8: Saturday 15th May, Trasacco Naples, 219kmIt now seems obligatory for the Giro to visit Naples during its first week. The race has been to the city every year since 2022, with the sprinters usually coming out on top.After the chaos of wet cobbles last year though, the finish will be moved to a new location, one that could be slightly more testing than in previous years. Stage 9: Sunday 16th May, Itri Monte Livata, 180kmThe first week of racing will reach its GC crescendo with a mountain stage on the outskirts of Rome.Monte Livata, the stages final climb, is a Giro newbie, offering 13km of climbing at an average gradient of 6.8%. While never traced by the 100-year-old Grand Tour, the Giro Next Gen tackled the climb during last years edition on a stage won by eventual winner Lorenzo Finn, who will move into Red Bulls pro ranks in 2027.Stage 10: Tuesday 18th May, Palombara Sabina Norcia, 218km After the rest day, everything restarts in Lazio in the historic town of Palombara Sabina. The profile looks rather banal until the final 40km, which feature two categorised climbs. From the summit of the final KoM, theres a long 20km descent to take them to the finish in Norcia.Stage 11: Wednesday 19th May, Gualdo Tadino Scarperia, 220kmThe sprinters might get hold of another chance of glory on Stage 11, which features few obstacles before the days conclusion in the Tuscan town of Scarperia, or at least the motor racing circuit nearby. For anyone counting, this is the longest stage in the 2027 race at 220km.Stage 12: Thursday 20th May, Montecatini Terme Zum Zeri, 173kmBack into the mountains on Stage 12, which begins in the historic spa town of Montecatini Terme. The Giro is breaking new ground here in the mountains of northern Tuscany, with a mountaintop finish to Zum Zeri, an Apennine peak not visited before by the race. The Passo Due Santi is viciously steep, reaching an average of 9% over its 7km-long ascent, with slopes reaching double digits in the second half. Stage 13: Friday 21st May, Borgo Val di Taro Reggio Emilia, 176kmThis stage is as flat as they come in this years Giro. Expect a sprint in Reggio Emilia, considered one of Italys gastronomic centres.Stage 14: Saturday 22nd May, Cant Piani di Bobbio, 187kmStage 14 is one of the most interesting stages at this years Giro, balancing Lombardy classics with new finds. Itll be a relentless test too, with several passes to contest before a new finish atop the Piani di Bobbio. The climb is 10km, but touches double digits for a fair chunk of its ascent, maxing out around 18%. Stage 15: Sunday 23rd May, Monza (Autodromo) Milan, 37.3km (ITT)The races second and final time-trial is an old staple of the Giro, a race against the clock in Milan. Starting from Monza, venue for F1s Italian Grand Prix, itll be flat as a pancake as the riders snake their way into the Giros historic capital.Its been a while since we last saw Milan host a time-trial like this, but it used to be a yearly occurrence back in the 2000s and 2010s Egan Bernal was the last rider to be crowned Giro champion in the city back in 2021.Stage 16: Tuesday 25th May, Sondrio Aprica, 192kmNo doubt, this is the Queen Stage at next years race and could quite possibly be one of the hardest stages weve ever seen at a modern Giro dItalia.The 2,600m-high and 16km-long Passo Gavia will be sandwiched between two ascents of the iconic Mortirolo, making this a whopping 5,700m of climbing. Most of that climbing will be over the 8% marker, as the Mortirolo averages a brutal 10.1% in gradient.Aprica has hosted the Giro on several occasions, usually as a follow-up to the Mortirolo. The last time the mens race visited was in 2022, when Jan Hirt took the stage and catapulted up the GC during the races final week.Stage 17: Wednesday 26th May, Chiari Vo, 194kmTime for the Giros customary transitional stage during the final week. This year, it takes us eastward through Veneto toward the town of Vo, a new finish town for the Corsa Rosa.Stage 18: Thursday 27th May, Rovereto Madonna di Campiglio, 154kmStage 18 is a bumpy one, sending the bunch up four big climbs well, three with two ascents of the Passo Durone before reaching its highest point: the Madonna di Campiglio.Madonna di Campiglio is a steady climb, lasting just over 10km at an average gradient of 6%. That said, it has an illustrious list of former winners that includes Marco Pantani, Mikel Landa and Ben OConnor.Stage 19: Friday 28th May, Rovereto Sacile, 199kmYou thought there would be just one transitional stage in the mountains? Well, think again. Stage 19 could offer the sprinters another chance at glory while the pink jersey contenders rest their legs.Stage 20: Saturday 29th May, Pordenone Monte Zoncolan, 180kmThe alternative choice for Queen Stage is this: the return of the Monte Zoncolan.The Zoncolans tougher ascent from Ovaro will be used on this occasion, breaking an almost decade-long hiatus for this Giro icon. Enduring just over 10km, the climb averages 11.9%, with slopes hitting a maximum of 22% close to base camp. Those stats lead it to be considered one of the toughest climbs in Europe.Lorenzo Fortunato was the last rider to win on the Zoncolan, but that was on the easier Sutrio route back in 2021. When the leg-breaking Ovaro side last made an appearance, Chris Froome came out victorious, taking his first Giro stage victory atop this Friuli pass. Stage 21: Sunday 30th May, Rome Rome, 131kmAfter a lengthy transition from Friuli, the Giro will conclude in the Italian capital once again. The race organisers seems to favour a Roman finish these days, primarily due to financial reasons, and the Giro will return to the Eternal City in 2027 for what can only be expected to be a sprint outside the iconic Colosseum.The post Giro dItalia 2027 route revealed including Zoncolan, double Mortirolo and Slovenian start appeared first on Cyclist.