2023 Tour of the Alps the final warmup before Giro d'Italia

The Tour of the Alps is the main lead-up race towards the Giro d'Italia, five challenging stages between April 17th - 21st and the riders will face several hilly and mountainous days that will warm-up the climbers towards the Giro

Five difficult stages will see some excisting racing and should reveal the form of some favorites before the Giro d'Italia in May.

The Stages

Stage 1: Rattenberg - Alpbach, 127.6 km

The opening stage is fairly short with a moutnain finish in Alpbach. The ascent of the Kerschbaumer Sattel is 5 kilometers long at 10.5% and will create some serious gaps. The final climb is 6.2 kilometers at 4.6% where differences can further be consolidated.

Stage 2: Reith im Alpbachtal - Ritten, 165.2 km

The second day of racing should see more time differences. The finale will take place in Ritten, after three similar climbs at 5.1 km at 6.1%, 4.5 km at 7.8% and 6 km at 7.1% before the short explosive ramp into town where the riders will cross the finish line.

Stage 3: Ritten - Brentonico san Valentino, 162.5 km

Stage 3 is a high mountains day. A descent start, will see the riders climb the Lago di Cei, 9.6 kilometers at 7.6% although it features much tougher gradients throughout, and then the final summit finish at the climb to San Valentino which features 15.2 kilometers at 7.6%.

Stage 4: Robereto - Brentonico san Valentino, 152.9 km

Stage 4 starts off  with a brutal climb in the high mountain with 15.7 kilometers at 7.3% at the Passo Sommo where the climbers will have the opportunity to turn the race on it's head. Even if race situation remains under control, the Passo Pramadiccio (9.6 km; 6.3%) could still dictate differences before the finale in Predazzo.

Stage 5: Cavalese - Brunico, 144.5 km

The final stage will very quite explosive, with a start in Cavalese with the ascent of the Passo Lavazé, 10.3 kilometers at 7.7% average gradient. It should see a very strong group go up the road and could blow the race apart.

A beautiful spectacle is expected for the finale in Brunico following the climb of the Mulbach which is 7.8 km at 8.2% but features gradients above 10% for several kilometers.

The Contenders

Aleksandr Vlasov returns with teammante and Belgian talent, Cian Uijtdebroecks, and German racer, Lennard Kämna, a stage winner in 2022 in Villabassa expected among the ranks of Bora-hansgrohe at the start in Rattenberg.

The Bora-Hansgrohe captain will face numerous contenders to the Giro d'Italia podium at the Euroregional stage race, from Geraint Thomas (INEOS-Grenadiers), winner of the first Tour of the Alps in 2017 and of the 2018 Tour de France, to Australian rider, Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious), and Colombian rider, Rigoberto Uran (EF Education-EasyPost).

Jack Haig, the 29-year-old from Australia is a climber with an international reputation, as proven by his third place overall at the 2021 Vuelta a España. All of this led to the expectation that Haig would continue along this path during the 2022 season, but the Bahrain Victorious athlete crashed on the Tour de France’s cobbled stage and suffered a season-ending broken wrist.