The 105th edition of the Giro d'Italia will welcome Hungary as the host nation for its Grande Partenza that will feature three stages, including an individual time trial. It begins on Friday, May 6 with the Budapest-Visegrád stage that concludes in an uphill finish, which looks a bit too hard for the pure sprinters.
The course centres around the Danube, the famous river will see the race a number of times throughout the mostly flat first stage. That changes in the finale though, with a challenging finish for the peloton once they leave the banks of the Danube. From the centre of Visegrád, the route climbs at 5% for about five kilometres to the royal castle where the first Maglia Rosa will be awarded after a sprint in the narrow streets of the citadel.
Then, on Saturday May 7, a 9.2 km individual time trial through the heart of Budapest follows to break up the general classification. The time trial is entirely within Budapest, a city circuit that stitches together the Hungarian capital from Pest to the historical centre of Buda.
Giro d'Italia 2022, Stage 1 profile Source: RCS
The start is located at the Heroes' Square and heads straight for the Danube, which separates the two ‘souls’ of the city. A series of twists and turns mark the route until it reaches the riverfront and parades past the neo-Gothic parliament before crossing the Danube and following the parallel bank. Leaving the river behind, the final climb begins (with peaks of 14% in its first section) which, partly on cobblestones, leads to Buda Square where the finish line is located.
Giro d'Italia 2022, Stage 2 profile Source: RCS
The last stage in Hungary will take place on Sunday 8th May from Kaposvár to Balatonfüred, on the shores of Balaton Lake and is one for the sprinters. Both the first and the second stages will start from Heroes' Square. The riders will then transfer to Italy and, on Monday 9, the Corsa Rosa will observe its first rest day.
After a first section of the stage in which the riders will approach the lake via a series of gentle undulations, they will reach Nagykanizsa and then Hévíz with its thermal lake. From there, they will ride through the Balaton region. The landscape is called the ‘Provence of Hungary’ and features ‘up and down’ volcanic hills that characterise the route. The last 50km take place along the coast with only the briefest of bumps at Tihany Abbey. The finish is almost without corners, and will likely set the stage for the race’s first bunch sprint.
Attila Valter (Groupama-FDJ) was on hand to give his perspective on the course, which will be going through his homeland a year after he became the first Hungarian to wear the famous maglia rosa at the Giro.
Giro d'Italia 2022, Stage 3 profile Source: RCS
“This year, one of the most exciting things happened to me - I wore the Maglia Rosa," said Valter. "It’s a feeling you cannot compare to anything else. Next May, all my fellow Hungarians will be able to feel some of this excitement and get much closer to cycling.
"In my eyes it's the most important sports event ever in my country, and I really wish for just two things. One is that I can start the race, and repeat something really great in 2022 at my home country. And secondly, which is more important, I hope all the Hungarian people will find joy in this race, and that the whole country can benefit from this amazing event.”
