Could the Giro d’Italia Women 2025 be decided by the seconds won or lost in the Bergamo time trial? Despite the numerous challenges and selective finishes scattered all along the course, last year’s edition taught us that nothing can be more treacherous than a race against the clock. Back in 2024, Elisa Longo Borghini (somewhat unexpectedly) managed to gain a crucial 25 seconds over her main rival, Lotte Kopecky, in the opening ITT in Brescia. This gap allowed the Italian to take a more defensive approach throughout the rest of the race, merely responding to the powerful attacks of the Flemish superstar. After a grueling battle in the mountains, Longo Borghini entered the final stage with a mere one-second lead – enough to ride conservatively and land the decisive blow just a few hundred meters from the finishing line in L’Aquila. But what kind of race would it have been without those precious seconds conquered at the time trial?

This year, the 12.2-kilometer time trial in Bergamo, starting in the brand new ChorusLife district and finishing along the Sentierone, could create gaps large enough to shape the entire narrative of the seven subsequent stages. No one can afford to underestimate these opening kilometers; a substantial deficit here could prove insurmountable later. Australian Neve Bradbury, for example, knows this all too well – despite a spectacular solo effort on the Blockhaus that vaulted her to third overall (+1’16”), she had already conceded a crushing 1’47” in the opening time trial.

While vigilance will be required at every meter of every stage, the climbers will truly come to the fore on Stage 4: a 156-km fraction from Castello Tesino to Pianezze (Valdobbiadene). The final ascent, winding through the heart of the Prosecco Hills all the way to Pianezze, is a relentless 11.3-kilometer climb with gradients consistently between 6% and 8%. If the earlier stages are for tactical maneuvering, this one will leave nowhere to hide.

However, the Queen Stage is almost certain to be Stage 7, a grueling 157 km from Fermignano to Monte Nerone. The decisive climb, stretching 15.2 kilometers with gradients hovering between 7% and 10%, is poised to be the ultimate arbiter of the 2025 Giro d’Italia Women. A true all-in moment, this stage will test every ounce of the riders’ strength, strategy, and resilience.