While the professional Giro d'Italia of the "young rebels" is resting before the decisive week, RCS Sport officially presents the Giro Next Gen at the Milan fairgrounds in Rho, which will take place from June 15 to 22 across Lombardy, Emilia and Piedmont. Complete name: Giro Next Gen Carta Giovani Nazionale. Up for grabs are the iconic pink jersey (sponsored by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy) for the general classification, the red jersey (sponsored by TIM Enterprise) for the points classification, the blue jersey (sponsored by Banca Mediolanum) for the mountain grand prix, the white jersey (sponsored by Suzuki) for young riders... and the tricolor jersey (in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Italian Trade Agency) that will reward the best Italian in the GC. Highly anticipated are the reigning champion Widar, the Norwegian Nordhagen, and the young Italian talent Finn.

Francesco Conci, CEO of Fiera Milano
“Rho Fiera has a recent history of closeness and support to the world of sports and young people — we recall the Six Days event in 2007 during EICMA, and in 2017 we hosted the Next Gen tennis tournament, from which Sinner emerged. One of our four pillars is to host communities and new audiences in places where business usually takes place. With the upcoming Milan-Cortina Olympics, we’ve dedicated an entire pavilion to this growing trend. Business revolves around community values — and it’s essential to build and rebuild those, starting with resilience: the ability to stay within limits without being overwhelmed by them.”

Andrea Orlandi, Mayor of Rho
“I’m thrilled that the city I represent gets to host events of this scale, involving the entire community — starting with the youngest generations, who get to see and even ‘touch’ champions of today and tomorrow, and take inspiration from their values of commitment and healthy effort. Some of them even practice cycling, and perhaps from Rho they’ll reach top-level cycling or sport: we currently have a promising talent like Juan David Sierra, who’s pursuing his dream with Tudor — a great example of the role sport plays in our young people’s lives. It’s the same magic we experienced with three starts of Milano–Torino (I get emotional every time I wave the starting flag!) and that we’ll experience again with the Giro Next Gen start. Stopping the city for a day of cycling is beautiful — and if the Rho exhibition centre is involved too, even better. I thank RCS for believing in us.”

Paolo Bellino, CEO of RCS Sport
“Emotions are the engine of sport, and the place we’re in today is truly a ‘Next’ venue where important international events take place. We’re also connected by the thread of Del Toro, who is now wearing the pink jersey after winning Milano–Torino from Rho to Superga. We’re witnessing a new generation approaching cycling with great passion — and winning the Giro Next Gen often leads to winning at the professional level. This is our third year with the Giro Next Gen, and we’ve made a significant contribution not only from a sporting standpoint but also in storytelling and promoting local areas. Cycling is deeply tied to Italian passion, and even though Pogacar isn’t racing, we’re seeing better TV ratings than last year, despite strong competition from Sinner, Musetti, and Paolini. We see amazing support in towns — not only in big cities but also in smaller communities. The U23 category is starting to feel almost ‘senior’, so I find the young rider classification for first-year riders especially meaningful. As for the teams, of course we considered UCI rankings, but we also made sure to highlight Italian teams and their homegrown talents.”

Natalino Ferrari, Project Manager of the Giro Next Gen
“As we’ve done in the past two years, we’ve tried to design a balanced route — with a time trial, two summit finishes, and two stages suited to sprinters or puncheurs. The overall distance is similar to past editions, but the total elevation gain is 14,000 metres compared to 12,000 before. The opening time trial in Rho is ideal for specialists. Stage 2 starts at the exhibition centre and finishes in the city of furniture-making, passing through the province of Varese and Como, and featuring a hilly circuit. The first summit finish comes on day three, dedicated to the memory of Fabio Casartelli — with the Tre Termini pass and the ‘Cima Coppi’ at Passo Maniva, 1660 metres above sea level, where the Giro Next Gen has finished before. Stage 4 runs from the Brescia lowlands to Salsomaggiore and will test sprinters’ endurance. Stage 5, departing from the city of the Six Day track event, features the Passo del Penice and a tricky finale near Castellania Coppi. Stage 6 is the final chance for sprinters, despite a couple of short climbs, and sets the stage for Saturday’s queen stage — starting with the Granfondo di Bra route and then tackling 13 km at 7% gradient up to Prato Nevoso. The race concludes on Sunday in Pinerolo. If the standings are still tight, that final day could decide everything — with lots of ups and downs in the Susa Valley and a circuit featuring the cobbled climb of Via Principi d’Acaja. That’s where we’ll discover the successor to Jarno Widar.”

After video messages from Juan Ayuso, Tom Pidcock, and Paul Magnier, encouraging the Giro Next Gen riders to enjoy this fantastic race, and greetings from several host towns (including Daniela Isetti) the event concluded with a brief video-message from Minister of Sport Andrea Abodi, followed by remarks from Italian Cycling Federation President Cordiano Dagnoni:
“Our goal is to create the champions of tomorrow — and the Giro Next Gen is where they’re born. I thank RCS for embracing this mission. The race is organized and secured to the same standard as the professional Giro, and international teams are showing increasing interest. It’s great to see so many sponsors, local institutions, and volunteers working together as part of a great team effort that yields outstanding results. It’s also nice to see pro riders still hold fond memories of their time here.”

STAGE 1, RHO - RHO TUDOR ITT, 8.4 KM

An urban individual time trial challenging for its route layout, with a continuous alternation of curves and straights that will require not only power but also a good handling skill. Completely flat course with very slight undulations.

STAGE 2, RHO FIERA MILANO - CANTÙ, 146 KM

A slightly undulating stage almost certainly destined for a group sprint, unless the climb in the last 2 km before the finish favors a finisseur. The route covers the Brianza and Varese undulations, nearly touching Switzerland before reaching Cantù, where cyclists will complete 2 laps of an almost 30 km circuit. A very nervous circuit with several short climbs and direction changes causing repeated accelerations. The finishing straight is notable for its slight uphill gradient.

STAGE 3, ALBESE CON CASSANO - PASSO DEL MANIVA, 143 KM

The first mountain finish of the Giro Next Gen. A long approach to Lake Iseo through the Brianza and Bergamo plains, continuously passing through towns. After Sarnico and reaching Iseo, riders will climb Passo Tre Termini (known among cyclists as Polaveno), which leads into Val Trompia. From that point, the road continuously ascends, and after San Colombano, the final climb to Passo Maniva begins (Cima Coppi of GNG25).

STAGE 4, MANERBIO - SALSOMAGGIORE TERME, 148 KM

A mixed stage starting with a completely flat section until the first passage at the finish line, followed by a long circuit with some medium-short climbs representing the stage's difficulties. Likely a sprint from a reduced group.

STAGE 5, FIORENZUOLA D'ARDA - GAVI, 153 KM

An Apennine stage that climbs Passo Penice midway and reaches the finish with a successive chain of descending climbs. In the finale, riders will pass through Passo Coppi (a recently adopted toponym) at the intersection with the road to Castellania Coppi (the hometown of the Campionissimo, which officially includes his name since 2019).

STAGE 6, OVADA - ACQUI TERME, 155 KM

The last opportunity for fast wheels. A predominantly flat stage with short climbs, including the notable ascents of Cassinasco and Sant'Ambrogio. A finale without significant difficulties leading to a probable sprint from a selected group.

STAGE 7, BRA - PRATO NEVOSO, 163 KM

The mountain stage of GNG25. From Bra to Dogliani, just after the 100 km mark, the stage retraces the challenging ups and downs of the Bra Bra Granfondo, passing through Guarene, Neive, and Serravalle Langhe, among others. After Dogliani, riders leave the Langhe and cross the Monregalese to reach the final climb, which has previously hosted Giro d'Italia professional finishes. The last towns crossed are Frabosa Soprana and Frabosa Sottana.

STAGE 8, PINEROLO - PINEROLO, 141 KM

A mixed stage with some challenging climbs that could define the overall classification if there are minimal time gaps between cyclists. After an initial section south of Pinerolo, the route moves towards Val di Susa, climbing Colle Braida and subsequently Colletta di Cumiana. After a first passage at the finish line, riders will climb the wall of Via dei Principi di Acaja and Pramartino from its most challenging side. Return to Pinerolo with the cobbled wall of Via dei Principi di Acaja just a few kilometers from the finish.

THE TEAMS