Giro d'Italia 2025 - Prediction stage 3

Sunday May 11th 2025: Stage 3 - Vlorë - Vlorë (160km, hilly)

The third stage of the Giro d’Italia is scheduled for Sunday 11 May, with a challenging 160-kilometre loop that starts and finishes in Vlorë, the Albanian port city on the Adriatic Sea. The riders will be presented with a rugged course, with a total of 2,800 metres of elevation gain and a finale that will be particularly difficult for the climbers.

The start of the stage takes them over rolling roads towards the Shakkellë Pass, where the first serious climb awaits: 5.5 kilometres long, with a tough initial section of almost 9% and a flatter middle section that pushes the average to 4%8. This is followed by a descent to the coast, after which the peloton heads north along the Mediterranean Sea. Despite the view of the sea, the terrain remains treacherous, with constant short, steep climbs. The Vishës Pass is the most striking: a 5.2 kilometre climb that starts with 1.7 kilometres at 8.3%, flattens out briefly and then picks up again to 9% in the final kilometres.

The absolute highlight of the stage awaits in the final part of the stage: the Llogara Pass, or the Qafa e Llogarasë. This 10.7 kilometre climb at an average of 7.4% is the toughest of the day and is located around 39 kilometres from the finish. After the summit, there is a long descent and a flat finale of around 20 kilometres back to Vlorë, where the sprinters with climbing legs or the classification riders can seize their chance.

The third stage through Albania promises to be a battle between climbers and strong all-rounders, with the potential to shake up the classification before the Giro returns to Italy.

📺Eurosport 1 (13.15 u), Sporza (13.30 u), NPO 1 (13.30 u)
⏰10.10 u
🏁16.25 u
⛅️Clowdy, light/ no wind, 17 degrees