Let the Giro d’Italia begin! The opening Grand Tour of 2024 gets underway on the outskirts of Turin on Saturday, with all eyes on one man…
It’s to hard to recall a three-week stage race where one rider has been expected to destroy the competition like Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) is being tipped to do in Italy. The Slovenian arrives chasing a Giro-Tour de France double and on the back of another stunning Spring Classics campaign, where he claimed ridiculous solo wins at Strade Bianche and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
One rider who will be hoping to keep him honest, at least, is Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers). The Welshman was just a time trial away from leaving the Giro draped in pink last year, only to see rival Primoz Roglic – who is focusing on the Tour this year with new team Bora-Hansgrohe – bounce back from a mechanical in supreme fashion to snatch the maglia rosa at the death.
Stage 1 sees the peloton run from Venaria Reale to Torino, with three categorised climbs, each trickier than the last, tasked with spicing up the day’s action.
How can I watch Stage 1 of the Giro d’Italia?
The UK coverage will be bookended by The Breakaway, presented by Orla Chennaoui, who has a string of esteemed guests joining her across the three weeks. Usual suspects Dan Lloyd, Adam Blythe and 12-time stage winner Robbie McEwen will return, with former Jumbo-Visma star Nathan van Hooydonck swooping in for the final week as Blythe resumes his duties on the motorbike in Italy.
And fans of Jonathan Vaughters are in for a treat on Stages 8 and 9, with the outspoken EF Education–EasyPost supremo joining our coverage.
Meanwhile, the charismatic Jens Voigt (Stages 1-9), former road star Daniel Oss (Stages 10-14), two-time winner Alberto Contador (Stage 15) and Blythe (Stages 16-21) will be doing their thing on the back of a motorbike to bring fans closer to the action.
Giro d’Italia 2024 TV schedule and route details
| Stage | Date | Start / Finish | Distance | Breakaway on-air time (UK time) |
| Stage 1 | Sat May 4 | Venaria Reale – Torino | 140km (hilly) | 12:30 |
| Stage 2 | Sun May 5 | San Francesco al Campo – Santuario di Oropa (Biella) | 161km (summit finish) | 11:45 |
| Stage 3 | Mon May 6 | Novara – Fossano | 166km (flat) | 12:00 |
| Stage 4 | Tue May 7 | Acqui Terme – Andora | 190km (flat) | 11:15 |
| Stage 5 | Wed May 8 | Genova – Lucca | 178km (hilly) | 11:30 |
| Stage 6 | Thu May 9 | Torre del Lago Puccini (Viareggio) – Rapolano Terme | 180km (hilly) | 11:30 |
| Stage 7 | Fri May 10 | Foligno – Perugia | 40.6km (ITT) | 11:45 |
| Stage 8 | Sat May 11 | Spoleto – Prati di Tivo | 152km (summit finish) | 11:15 |
| Stage 9 | Sun May 12 | Avezzano – Napoli | 214km (hilly) | 10:45 |
| Rest Day | Mon May 13 | – | – | – |
| Stage 10 | Tue May 14 | Pompei – Cusano Mutri (Bocca della Selva) | 142km (summit finish) | 11:45 |
| Stage 11 | Wed May 15 | Foiano di Val Fortore – Francavilla al Mare | 207km (flat) | 10:45 |
| Stage 12 | Thu May 16 | Martinsicuro – Fano | 193km (hilly) | 11:15 |
| Stage 13 | Fri May 17 | Riccione – Cento | 179km (flat) | 11:45 |
| Stage 14 | Sat May 18 | Castiglione delle Stiviere – Desenzano del Garda | 31.2km (ITT) | 12:00 |
| Stage 15 | Sun May 19 | Manerba del Garda – Livigno (Mottolino) | 222km (summit finish) | 09:15 |
| Rest Day | Mon May 20 | – | – | – |
| Stage 16 | Tue May 21 | Livigno – Santa Cristina Valgardena/St. Christina in Groden (Monte Pana) | 202km (summit finish) | 10:15 |
| Stage 17 | Wed May 22 | Selva di Val Gardena/Wolkenstein in Gröden – Passo del Brocon | 159km (summit finish) | 11:15 |
| Stage 18 | Thu May 23 | Fiera di Primiero – Padova | 178km (flat) | 11:45 |
| Stage 19 | Fri May 24 | Mortegliano – Sappada | 157km (hilly) | 11:45 |
| Stage 20 | Sat May 25 | Alpago – Bassano del Grappa | 181km (mountainous) | 10:30 |
| Stage 21 | Sun May 26 | Roma – Roma | 122km (flat) | 14:15 |