The Giro d’Italia 2025 continues with another intriguing stage, one that looks set for the sprinters on paper, but the twisty finale could still spring a surprise or two. It’s 151 km from Ceglie Messapica to Matera, with an unpredictable finish waiting in the shadows of the stunning Sassi of the Lucanian city.
The finale rises gently
The first part of the stage is fairly straightforward, with the main highlights coming at the intermediate sprints in Massafra (km 42.5) and Marina di Ginosa (km 76.8), along with the Red Bull KM in Bernalda (km 100.4), positioned at the end of a 1.5 km uphill drag.
With 30 km to go, the riders will face the tricky Montescaglioso KOM (Category 4, 2.9 km at 8.4%), before beginning the gradual but relentless climb toward Matera.
Gradients hover around 3–4%, except for a sharp 10% ramp roughly 2 km from the finish—an unexpected sting in the tail that could make the finale even more unpredictable.
Today’s stage also seems to suit the skills of Maglia Rosa Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) perfectly, with a twisty finale that could well shake off some of the purer sprinters. It’s an ideal finish for Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) too, though his form remains a question mark after a less-than-convincing start in Albania. Expect fighters like Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Casper Van Uden (Picnic PostNL), Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor), Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5), and Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike) to dig deep and hang on.
But this kind of finish could also play into the hands of riders like Orluis Aular (Movistar) and Corbin Strong (Israel–Premier Tech), who thrive on slightly punchier terrain.
Ceglie Messapica – Matera
Length: 151 km
Elevation gain: 1,550 metres
Start: 13:35
KM 0 (official start): 1:50 p.m.
Live coverage begins: 12:00 p.m.
Estimated finish: around 5:15 p.m.
