CyclistThe big talking points from the Giro dItalia 2027 routesThe 2027 Giro dItalia race routes were revealed this week, with a host of mountain stages and iconic climbs to tempt the sports biggest names to Italy.After the Tour de France routes were announced, the Giro parcours offers an alternative for those whose talents dont suit the Tours profiles, and could also provide an opening for first-time Grand Tour winners.Here are six things that we think are the most notable takeaways from the mens and womens Giro routes.Trying to tempt big namesChris AuldThe Giro and Vuelta dont get the star power that the Tour de France does, but the past few years have seen both Tadej Pogaar and Jonas Vingegaard add the maglia rosa to their collection after successful trips around Italy.With those two all but confirmed to skip the Corsa Rosa in 2027, organisers seem determined to lure other big names in. The Grande Partenza being largely in Slovenia would normally be a direct line to Pogaar, but after his Vuelta crash hes expected to have another go at the Tour-Vuelta double next season.The opportunity to ride a Grand Tour without Pogaar and Vingegaard should be enough to bring at least one of the second tier of Grand Tour talents to Italy, and Pogaars new second-in-command Isaac del Toro seems the most likely to get free rein at the race he almost won on debut in 2025. Rumours are also starting to spread around newly crowned Lombardia champion Paul Seixas, who recently hinted on a podcast that he may opt for the Giro over the Tour in 2027, but its hard to see Decathlon CMA CGM rolling into the Tour de France without their French talisman.This could also be Remco Evenepoels best shot at a pink jersey yet, with plenty of time-trial kilometres to gain a big lead more on that below however the Tours two flat TTs and reduced climbing metres suggest Red Bull wont risk sending him to Edinburgh for the Tour opening in anything less than peak condition. That could open the door for 2025 Tour white jersey winner Florian Lipowitz to make his second Giro appearance with a real shot at Grand Tour glory.Contrasting TT focusThere will be two very different time-trials on offer for the mens Giro in 2027, with one 19.6km uphill effort that includes the 12.5km climb to Campo di Giove on Stage 7 and one long, flat course on Stage 15 that could put any poor time-triallists out of GC contention with 37.3km to hold on.In the womens race the only time-trial is an 11km climb, which, when combined with the climbing on the rest of the course, should even the GC fight out in favour of the pure climbers whod lose time on a flat TT. Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney pink jersey anyone? Northern soulBoth editions of the Giro are mostly contained in northern Italy. The womens field will stay incredibly local to the northwest as the opening day around Viareggio provides its southernmost venture and the mens coming down from the Grande Partenza in Trieste and Slovenia to find its most southerly point in Naples on Stage 8 before heading back north for more mountains.Understandably there was backlash from those wanting to see a bigger spread through the country, but Italys best mountain roads are in the north and most races depend on money from start and finish towns, so if the north is where the cash is, thats where itll go.Brutal queen stagesA mammoth queen stage opens the third week of racing in the mens race. Taking on 192km from Sondrio to Aprica and dishing out an enormous 5,700m of climbing, the peloton will take on the legendary Passo del Mortirolo twice and the Passo Gavia sandwiched between. The winner of the 2027 Giro should truly be the best climber with a test like this.The final day of the womens race could throw a massive curveball in the maglia rosa fight, with 132km in the shadow of Mont Blanc on a similar route to Stage 14 of the 2019 mens Giro to Courmayeur, when Richard Carapaz took control of the lead and never looked back.Four categorised climbs, headlined by the Colle San Carlo, should obliterate the race, and although its not a summit finish its highly likely the first rider at the finish is the overall winner.A trio of motor racing circuitsPool/Getty ImagesThere will be two road stage finishes on motor racing circuits at the 2027 mens Giro in an attempt to provide a safer environment for bunch sprints, despite the chaotic finish on Circuit Paul Armagnac at the 2023 Tour de France.Former Lidl-Trek manager and new head of cycling at RCS Sports Luca Guercilena defended the decision, saying the initiative stems from listening to athletes and teams regarding the need for safe finishes.Two circuits will likely host a battle of the sprinters in Misano on Stage 4 and Mugello on Stage 11, and iconic track Monza will be the start location for the flat Stage 15 ITT. They should theoretically provide more space and smooth roads for the sprinters. Well see if that works out.Tribute to Michele ScarponiLuk Benies/AFP via Getty ImagesThe mens race will pay tribute to Michele Scarponi, winner of the 2011 Giro, who was killed on a training ride in Filottrano in 2017 after being hit by a truck just a day after he finished fourth overall at the Tour of the Alps. Stage 5 of the 2027 Giro will depart from Filottrano and finish atop the 13km, 7% average climb to Sassotetto, where there is a monument dedicated to Scarponi that reads correte in bici, divertitevi inseguite un sogno, meaning ride your bike, have fun, chase a dream.The post The big talking points from the Giro dItalia 2027 routes appeared first on Cyclist.