In 2015, the Giro d'Italia will return to Madonna di Campiglio where Marco Pantani took a memorable victory in 1999. The climb comes at the end of the final stage of the second week.

Announced today in Trento, news of the upcoming Giro d’Italia 2015 stage which will be decisive for the general classification, has been revealed. The Corsa Rosa confirmed that, for the second time in its history and for the first time in 16 years, a stage finish line would be in Madonna di Campiglio.

In 1999 the winner was Marco Pantani, making his final Giro d’Italia stage win. The 2015 finish line will be higher than previously, making this stage and the final climb even more challenging for the riders. This will be stage 15 of the race, Sunday 24 May, starting from Marostica. The Trentino area will host the rest day on Monday 25 May and the start of the following stage on Tuesday 26 May from Pinzolo. The Giro d’Italia 2015 starts on 9 May and ends on 31 May.

"The relationship between the Giro d’Italia and Trentino is deeply rooted on both territorial and sporting levels," race director Mauro Vegni said. "This year, with the return of the finish line to Madonna di Campiglio, 16 years after the one and only Marco Pantani won there, we wanted to bring the race back to this extraordinary scenery. Trentino will host not only the end of Stage 15, but also the rest day and the start of the next stage from Pinzolo. I’m sure these will be three very important days full of fun."

"Cycling is one of the most popular sports in Italy, with thousands of enthusiastic fans, and for them, the Giro d’Italia has always been the most followed and most engaging race," president of the Trento region Ugo Rossi said. "This is why we are happy to host such an important stage of the Corsa Rosa in our territory. The Giro is coming back to Madonna di Campiglio on the climbs where the biggest champions in cycling history have fought some of the most famous races in cycling history."

"It's certainly going to be an important stage in Giro 201," former world champion Maurizio Frondriest said. "Madonna di Campiglio is a well known climb that can be climbed at a regular pace. The less well known climb is Passo Daone, which is highly demanding both on ascent and descent. This highly technical section could be the perfect ramp to launch the stage-winning attack."
 

STAGE 15 COURSE:
MAROSTICA – MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO 165km – 3900 metres of total climbing
A very demanding stage. It starts from Marostica, city of the living chess event and of the 1981 Giro winner, Giovanni Battaglin. After a flat section, the road climbs towards to the Asiago plateau, crossing Breganze and Thiene. The Asiago plateau is one of the iconic areas of the First World War – the race will be held on the 100th anniversary of the Italian declaration of war – in an area in which battles were fought from the first day of the war itself. 

Going towards Valdastico, the entry to the Trentino area will be through part of the Passo del Sommo climb. The riders don’t tackle the whole length of the climb, but turn left near La Fricca (KOM) and Vigolo Vattaro, heading toward Trento, until arriving close to the Buoncosiglio Castle, another iconic area of both the Irredentism period and of the First World War. 

The race will then reach Comano Spa and enter the start of the Rendena valley, where it will bend towards the small villages of Preore and Binio to climb, for the first time in the history of the Giro, the very demanding Passo Daone, with its incline that averages 9% and peaks at 14%. 

After a technical descent the race will reach Pinzolo, and the start of the final climb. There is an average gradient of 6-7% for almost the whole ascent until the riders reach Madonna di Campiglio, 2km from the finish line. 

The last section is the most demanding – with double digits gradient – until the finish in Patascoss, a location famous for being the start of 3Tre alpine skiing course, which has hosted such legendary winners as Thöni, Stenmark and Tomba.