Stage 1 Preview: race against the clock in Bergamo

Just like last year, the Giro d’Italia Women 2025 kicks off with a time trial that will award the first Maglia Rosa. The stunning backdrop of Bergamo – spanning Chorus Life, the Città Alta, and the Città Bassa – sets the stage for the first thrills and the opening gaps between the GC contenders. At 14.2 kilometers, this course is more than enough to give us some early indications of who’s on form.

High-speed through the streets of Bergamo

And what if, in the end, it’s the seconds gained or lost in the Bergamo time trial that prove decisive? The 2025 Giro d’Italia Women route is packed with challenges – selective summit finishes, punishing climbs – but last year’s edition reminded us that sometimes there’s nothing more treacherous than a race against the clock.
In 2024, somewhat unexpectedly, Elisa Longo Borghini managed to take 25 seconds out of her main rival Lotte Kopecky in the opening time trial in Brescia. That gave her the chance to approach the rest of the race with a more defensive mindset, marking the attacks of the Flemish superstar stroke for stroke. After a tightly matched battle in the mountains, Longo Borghini arrived at the final stage with just a one-second advantage – just enough to ride reactively and land the decisive blow on the finish line in L’Aquila. But what kind of race would it have been without those seconds she banked in the ITT?

That’s why the 14.2 kilometers from ChorusLife to the Sentierone in Bergamo could open up gaps that will inevitably shape the next seven stages. No one can afford to underestimate these first few kilometers – because losing too much time here might mean playing catch-up for the rest of the Giro. Just ask Australia’s Neve Bradbury, who finished third overall (+1:16) after an epic solo on the Blockhaus, but had hemorrhaged 1:47 in the opening time trial.