Stage 18 Preview: Brianza Awaits the Sprint Finish

The Giro d’Italia 2025 enters the Milan outskirts with Stage 18, a 144 km ride from Morbegno to Cesano Maderno. It’s a transitional stage in the heart of a brutal third week, offering the surviving sprinters a golden opportunity, one of their last before Rome. While the fast men gear up for a crucial shot at victory, the GC contenders will treat the day as a much-needed breather ahead of the Giro’s decisive final two stages.

A few rolling sections in the middle part of the stage

The first climb comes after 30 km: the ascent to Parlasco (cat. 2, 7.6 km at 6.2%), followed by a series of undulating roads through the Valsassina. Next up are the Colle Balisio (cat. 3, 4.6 km at 3.3%) and the Ravellino climb (cat. 3, 9 km at 4.4%), located 66 km from the finish. The final real obstacle is the Red Bull KM in Sirtori (3.1 km at 4%). From there, the last 55 km are completely flat, cutting through the heart of Brianza, with the Cesano Maderno circuit – 12.5 km in length – to be repeated twice.

New chance for the sprinters

When it comes to sprints, the top favorite remains Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike), though he’ll have to contend with the always-dangerous Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), as well as Maglia Ciclamino Mads Pedersen (Lidl–Trek), and fast finishers like Casper Van Uden (Picnic PostNL), Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), and Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5).

If the race turns out to be a bit more selective, keep an eye on Corbin Strong (Israel–Premier Tech), Orluis Aular (Movistar), and Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale).