Stage 6 Potenza - Napoli (227.0km)
The sixth stage in the Giro d'Italia brings the peloton to Naples for the third year in a row. In the past two years, Olav Kooij and Mads Pedersen have already won here, and in 2025 it looks like a sprinter will again be able to put himself on the honor roll, as the finale is almost flat.
However, the first 145 kilometers of the stage are difficult, as the peloton departs from Potenza. Koen Bouwman has fond memories of this city in the Basilicata region: three years ago he won his first Giro stage here after a spectacular stage, in which Tom Dumoulin played the role of ideal teammate and Bauke Mollema sprinted to second place.
From Potenza, the climbing starts immediately on Thursday. Although the climb is short and the gradients are not too impressive, you can bet that the riders will warm up on rollers before the start. After the opening climb follows a long descent to the foot of the Valico di Monte Caruozzo (19.9 km at 3.8%), a beast of a climb in terms of length, but very modest in terms of gradients. A strong early breakaway will likely make its escape here.
After the descent, it continues to go up and down. It's not flat anywhere, but those who have been dropped will have all the time to return in these seventy kilometers. The climb to Monteforte Irpino (11 km at 3.4%) is then the last obstacle of the day. After the Monteforte Irpino, it's still 82 kilometers to the finish - long enough for the sprinters to mobilize for a mass sprint in Naples.
Stage 6 Potenza - Napoli (227.0km)
The sixth stage in the Giro d'Italia brings the peloton to Naples for the third year in a row. In the past two years, Olav Kooij and Mads Pedersen have already won here, and in 2025 it looks like a sprinter will again be able to put himself on the honor roll, as the finale is almost flat.
However, the first 145 kilometers of the stage are difficult, as the peloton departs from Potenza. Koen Bouwman has fond memories of this city in the Basilicata region: three years ago he won his first Giro stage here after a spectacular stage, in which Tom Dumoulin played the role of ideal teammate and Bauke Mollema sprinted to second place.
From Potenza, the climbing starts immediately on Thursday. Although the climb is short and the gradients are not too impressive, you can bet that the riders will warm up on rollers before the start. After the opening climb follows a long descent to the foot of the Valico di Monte Caruozzo (19.9 km at 3.8%), a beast of a climb in terms of length, but very modest in terms of gradients. A strong early breakaway will likely make its escape here.
After the descent, it continues to go up and down. It's not flat anywhere, but those who have been dropped will have all the time to return in these seventy kilometers. The climb to Monteforte Irpino (11 km at 3.4%) is then the last obstacle of the day. After the Monteforte Irpino, it's still 82 kilometers to the finish - long enough for the sprinters to mobilize for a mass sprint in Naples.