The 2018 Giro d'Italia was the 101st edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The first half of the Giro began on 4 May in Jerusalem, Israel, with an individual time trial, and ended with Stage 11, a hilly stage to Osimo, occurring on 16 May; the second half of the tour started at Osimo on 17 May and finished in Rome on 27 May.
4 May 2018 – Jerusalem to Jerusalem, 9.7 km (6.0 mi) (ITT)[1]
The first rider departed at 13:50 local time (UTC+03:00).[2] The route started alongside the David Citadel Hotel, headed south and then west to the first timecheck, which was at the 5.1 km (3.2 mi) mark. The riders then turned back east and passed the Knesset. The route passed through a tunnel after 7.3 km (4.5 mi), and passed Mamilla Pool about 400 m (1,300 ft) from the finish line, with a short climb in the last few hundred metres before the finish.[3][4][5]
Stage 1 result and general classification after stage 1[6][7]
During the morning, the riders and support staff transferred across the Mediterranean Sea, from Eilat in Israel to Catania in Sicily. This involved up to an hour of bus travel, and a further three hours by aircraft.[13]
The riders departed from Caltanissetta, heading east to Enna and then turning south to Piazza Armerina. The race then continued east through Ramacca and Paternò. The route turned north through Belpasso and continued through Ragalna, where the 15 km (9.3 mi) Category 1 climb of Mount Etna began, to the astrophysical observatory at an altitude of 1,736 m (5,696 ft).[18]
The race departed northwest along the coast to Sapri, then heading inland and west to Licusati. The route again reached the coast after heading northwest to an intermediate sprint at Agropoli, and continued along the coast to another intermediate sprint at Salerno. From Salerno, the route began a gentle climb to Bellizzi Irpino. The race then continued onto the second category 17 km (11 mi) climb, through Mercogliano and Ospedaletto d'Alpinolo, to the finish at an altitude of 1,260 m (4,130 ft).[23]
The riders will depart heading west and then northwest to Isernia, and continue into a second category 9 km (5.6 mi) climb, to an altitude of 1,252 m (4,108 ft), at Roccaraso. After descending north, the race has intermediate sprints at Popoli and Bussi sul Tirino, before a 14 km (8.7 mi) second category climb to 1,190 m (3,900 ft) at Calascio. The race then continues climbing northwest into the first category 26 km (16 mi) climb, to the finish line at 2,135 m (7,005 ft), at Campo Imperatore.[26]