Whoever wins the Giro d’Italia Women 2025 will have no choice but to conquer the brutal gradients and raw beauty of Monte Nerone. Towering above the northern Marche region in the province of Pesaro e Urbino, this imposing massif is one of the most striking features of the Umbrian-Marchean Apennines. Standing at 1,525 meters, it dominates the upper Metauro valley, stretching across the municipalities of Piobbico, Apecchio, and Cagli. Its limestone and karstic geology has sculpted a dramatic landscape of caves, sinkholes, and rocky outcrops.
In Stage 7 of the Giro Women, the peloton will tackle this mountain at the end of an already demanding day – 150 km from Fermignano to the summit. The climb begins in Pian di Molino and runs for 15 km at an average gradient of 6.5%. It’s the final real opportunity for riders to launch an all-or-nothing attack for the Maglia Rosa or claw their way back into GC contention.
The gradients are fairly consistent, hovering between 7% and 10%. The first section, up to Pian di Trebbio, is more manageable, while the second half demands more grit. Well known to hikers, cyclists, and even skiers, Monte Nerone is nonetheless a rarity in elite racing, as it has never hosted a summit finish in a major cycling event.
The only time it featured in a Grand Tour was in the 2009 Giro d’Italia, during the Centenary edition. Back then, the race tackled Monte Nerone via its steeper Pianello side, in a brutal stage that also included Monte Catria and finished atop Monte Petrano – a climb that returned to the spotlight at last year’s Tirreno Adriatico. That 2009 stage was won by Carlos Sastre, ahead of the Maglia Rosa Denis Menchov, who would go on to lift the Trofeo Senza Fine in Rome days later.
Find out more about the stage that will finish on Monte Nerone, click here!
