The 2024 Giro d'Italia Women was the 35th edition of the Giro d'Italia Women, a women's road cycling stage race in Italy. The race took place from 7 to 14 July and was the 21st event of the 2024 UCI Women's World Tour calendar. The race was organised by RCS Sport, which also organised the men's Giro d'Italia. The race was won by Italian rider Elisa Longo Borghini of Lidl–Trek, the first Italian winner since 2008.[1]
22 teams participated in the race.[2] Each team started with seven riders. All 15 UCI Women's WorldTeams were automatically invited. They were joined by five UCI Women's Continental Teams selected by organisers RCS Sport. The two best UCI Women's Continental Teams of the 2023 season also gained automatic invitations.[3] The teams were announced on 7 June 2024.
UCI Women's WorldTeams
UCI Women's Continental Teams
In December 2023, the route was announced by new organisers RCS Sport.[4][5] The race started in Brescia, Lombardy in northern Italy with an individual time trial, before heading south through the Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Umbria and Abruzzo regions. The final two stages were in the southern Apennines mountains, with the queen stage on stage 7 with a summit finish at Blockhaus at an elevation of 1,680 metres (5,510 ft).[5] As the highest climb of the race, the first rider to pass Blockhaus was awarded the "Cima Alfonsina Strada" – a prize named after Italian cyclist Alfonsina Strada, who took part in the men's Giro d’Italia in 1924.[6] The total race distance of 856 km (532 mi) was the shortest since 2013, with the previous 10 editions of the race averaging over 950 kilometres (590 mi) in length.[5]
Following criticism of previous editions of the race,[7] the 2024 route was considered to be "impressive" and a "positive step", with praise for the last two mountain stages.[8][9] As with the previous editions, the route required a waiver from the Union Cycliste Internationale, as Women's WorldTour races have a maximum race length of six days.[10]
Blockhaus is the 'Cima Alfonsina Strada', the highest peak of the race, established in memory of the cyclist who took part in the men's Giro d'Italia in 1924.
Overall, the Giro d'Italia Women route is impressive.
a positive sign of new management under RCS
Regarding, the number of days of competition during a stage race, the UCI sets the elite women's stage races at six days, unless an exemption is made by its Management Committee.