Stage 14 Preview: breakaway or bunch sprint in Nova Gorica?

A hero’s welcome awaits Primož Roglič on Stage 14, the 195 km from Treviso to Nova Gorica. The Giro d’Italia heads into his native Slovenia for only the third time in its history, with a stage that defies easy predictions. If yesterday’s uphill finish ruled out many riders, today’s stage ends on the flat – albeit after a tricky, undulating circuit – so the sprinters could be back in the spotlight. That said, a large breakaway might well be granted the freedom to go all the way.

Late-stage difficulties ahead

The first 150 km of the stage – from Treviso through Friuli to the intermediate sprints in Morsano al Tagliamento, Talmassons, and the Red Bull KM in Manzano – are completely flat. The real challenges begin only after crossing into Slovenia, with the punchy climb to Goniace/San Martino (cat. 4, 1.9 km at 8.7%) followed by the Nova Gorica circuit, roughly 13 km long and to be tackled twice.

The circuit features the short but sharp climb of Saver (cat. 4, 900 m at 7.4%), which comes just 8 km from the finish and could shake up the race dynamics.

Will Pedersen go for it again?

Today’s stage is a simplified version of yesterday’s. The twisty finale could tempt Mads Pedersen (Lidl–Trek) to go hunting for a fifth victory, though the flat finish might allow a few more sprinters to hang on. Keep an eye on Kaden Groves (Alpecin–Deceuninck), Wout Van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), Orluis Aular (Movistar), and Corbin Strong (Israel–Premier Tech), but don’t rule out Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Casper Van Uden (Picnic PostNL) staying in the mix either.

Also keep an eye on those who might aim for the breakaway. After yesterday’s blisteringly fast stage, it’s possible that teams won’t show the same determination to keep the race under control – so watch closely to see who, and how many, manage to slip into the day’s move.