The 2023 Giro d'Italia will begin with an epic 18.4 km time trial along the coastal cycle paths of Abruzzo and end with a circuit stage in historic Rome.

The 2022 Giro had only a 26.2 km time trial, starting in Budapest and ending with the final stage around Verona. The 3,448-km Corsa Rosa, the 106th edition of the race, has three time trials: a flat 33.6-km chronometro in Emilia Romagna in the middle of the race, and an 18.6-km mountain time The final 20th stage is an 18.6km mountain time trial from Tarvisio to the Monte Russari Sanctuary. The last time a time trial longer than 70 km was held in the Giro was in 2013.

The tripling of the time trial distance in next year's Giro will no doubt tempt Lemko Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alfa Vinyl), Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma), and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers). But the 2023 route also includes a total of 51,300 meters of climbing and mountain finishes, including the Campo Imperatore, Crane Montana in Switzerland, Monte Bondone, and the lesser-known Val di Zoldo and Tre cime di Lavaredo.

The stage into Switzerland climbs the Colle del Gran San Bernardo at 2,469 meters. The Tre cime di Lavaredo ends at 2304m elevation.

The 2023 Giro d'Italia will start on Saturday, May 6 and end on Sunday, May 28. There will be eight sprinter-friendly stages and four hilly stages ideal for aggressive breakaways. The first week will be spent in southern Italy before heading north through Tuscany, Turin, Bergamo, and the Dolomites.

As for the location of the final stage, business took precedence over the environment, and the initial agreement in Trieste was changed to a more favorable and prestigious deal, with a finish in the capital, Rome. This means that the riders and the Giro Caravan will face a 750 km journey by car, train, and plane for the final circuit stage.

The full route for the 2023 Giro d'Italia was announced in Milan on Monday, with 2022 overall winner Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) joined by Ciclamino sprint jersey winner Arnaud Demaret (Groupama-FDJ), blue climber jersey winner Kane Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) were among the guests of honor.

Former winners Vincenzo Nibali and Alberto Contador were also in attendance at the Giorgio Gaber Teatro Lirico in central Milan to lobby for wildcard entry for their respective teams. Nibali works for the new Swiss Pro team founded by Doug Ryder and clothing brand q36.5, while Contador is part of the management team for the Eolo team.

This is the second time the Giro d'Italia Grande Partenza has been held in Abruzzo. The opening week takes place in the southern region of Il Bel Paese, with a mix of sprint and breakaway stages through Molise, Puglia, Basilicata, Campania, and Naples.

The opening 18.4 km time trial is the Ciclovia dei Trabocchi along the coast. The finish is in Ortona and is followed by a 1km gradual uphill.

Sprinters will get their first chance on the seafront of San Salvo Marina in stage 2, but may also have a chance on Melfi in stage 3 after surviving the late Monte Vultures climb.

The first mountain finish comes on stage 4, Lago Lacheno, after 184km of racing and 3500m of climbing. This is where the first GC battle will take place and the race leaders could change.

This year's stage around Naples was won by Thomas de Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) after Mathieu Van der Pol (Alpecin-Desseuninck) clashed with Biniam Girmay (Intermarché Wanty-Gaubert Materie). Next year, the sprint stage will finish in Salerno, and stage 6 will visit Sorrento and Amalfi for a breathtaking but tough 156km stage to and from Naples.

The first week returns to Abruzzo, with a summit finish at Campo Imperatore in the shadow of the 2135-meter-high Gran Sasso. The gradual climb to the finish is 45 km long, with the false flat in the middle of the race being the only respite. The short but steep "Murri" climb, often used in the Tirreno-Adriatico, continues for 2,500 meters.

The stage 9 time trial will take place on the flat roads of Romagna, near Rimini: the 33.6 km route starts in Savignano al Rubicone and finishes in Cesena, home of Technogym's headquarters. Evenpoel, Roglic, and others could finish the first week in Maria Rosa with more than a minute lead over their rivals in this stage.

After the first rest day on Monday, the Giro enters Tuscany and heads north to Piedmont, where sprint stages in Viareggio and Tortona are expected.

Things will change on the 12th stage to Rivoli, where the riders will transition to larger, harder climbs, with the 179-km finale heading into the hills west of Turin, with rolling roads to the finish.

On stage 13, the Corsa Rosa leaves Italy for a summit finish in Crans Montana, Switzerland. At 2,465 meters above sea level, the Collet del Gran San Bernardo will be the Seima Coppi of the 2023 Giro. This stage will also include the 15 km La Croix de Coeur to the ski resort finish.

The weekend will be a celebration of Italian cycling, with a finish in Cassano Maggiago, home town of Ivan Basso, and a hilly stage around Bergamo that covers much of the climb of Il Lombardia. Local cycling enthusiasts are expected to fill the roads on both days.

After a second day of rest on Monday, the riders will head east to Trentino for the classic mountain stages of the final week of the Giro.

Stage 16, from Sabbio Chiese to Monte Bondone, starts low near Lake Garda but has a 5200m climb before the summit finish. The 10 km Aldeno road runs to the finish in Monte Bondone.

This high, exposed mountain is also synonymous with the 1956 attack by Charles Gaulle in a snowstorm. Race director Mauro Veni will be hoping for a similar historic day, but perhaps with a little less snow.

Freedom from climbing will not come until stage 17, the Caorle on the Venetian coast.

Stage 18 will feature a "trittico" of three stages that will test the overall contenders. If the time trialists are still ahead in the overall at this point, they will no doubt come under attack from the pure climbers.

Stage 18 is from Oderzo to Val di Zoldo. Although the distance is only 160 km, RCS Sport gives it a difficulty rating of 4 stars out of 5. The finale awaits the Forcella Civiana and the first ever coy climb, which includes a 4 km section over 10% and a 19% section just 5 km from the finish.

Stage 19 is a classic Giro d'Italia tappone (giant stage). The 182 km from Longarone to Tre cime di Lavaredo includes a 5400 m climb through the spectacular Dolomite landscape.

The second half of the stage includes climbs to Campolongo, Valparola, Giau, Tre Croci, and Tre Cime di Lavaredo, where Nibali was humiliated in 2013.

Transfers will take the riders east to near the Slovenian border for the Tarvisio - Monte Russari 18.6km mountain time trial. The Giro will be won or lost on the 10km valley road and the climb to the finish on a concrete road, which RCS Sport likens to the middle section of the Zoncolan. The climb averages 12%, with 4% in the early stages. 15% in 5 km.

The late decision to avoid Trieste and head 750 km south to the capital, Rome, means that the winner of the 2023 Giro d'Italia will be crowned on the bad roads of the capital and around the Fori Imperiali ruins and Colosseum The 2023 Giro d'Italia will be the last one in Rome. It is no exaggeration to say that this is a race for gladiators, with the Maglia Rosa in their hands.