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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
He identifies four climbs which in his view will define the race. They differ in altitude, length, positioning and tactical complexity, but together they form the spine of the 2026 route.<\/p>\n
Passo Giau: Pozzovivo\u2019s hardest climb of the entire Giro<\/p>\n
When asked to name the most decisive ascent of the race, Pozzovivo goes straight to the Dolomites. \u201cIn my view the hardest climb, both for the stage and for the general classification, is the Giau\u201d he says.\u00a0He explains that its steepness, overall elevation gain and altitude place it above every other climb.<\/p>\n
The Giau does not sit right before the finish, which might have made it less influential in past eras. But Pozzovivo argues that racing has changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past I would have said the Giau is too far from the finish. In today\u2019s cycling I am not so sure\u201d he says. He believes long range attacks are now far more realistic, especially with team support.<\/p>\n
He also highlights the tactical trap riders must avoid. Once over the Giau, the road continues to the Falzarego and from that side it is not selective. Anyone who attacks alone risks being caught if the group behind organises. \u201cIf the riders behind join forces, the one who attacks could find himself stuck\u201d he warns.<\/p>\n
And the Giau does not end at the summit. It will shape the final climb to Piani di Pezze. \u201cIts gradients and its difficulty can influence the final climb of Piani di Pezze\u201d he says, emphasising that the last ascent, while short, is steep enough to magnify the damage done earlier.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pozzovivo won his sole Giro d’Italia stage back in 2012<\/p>\n
Blockhaus: a brutal climb that may produce a conservative race<\/p>\n
Pozzovivo knows Blockhaus well and ranks it second in difficulty, but he believes the stage may not explode as fans expect.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt remains an extremely demanding climb\u201d he says. This year the climb begins slightly higher, avoiding the longer gentler approach used in the past. Those missing kilometres matter.\u00a0\u201cThe five or six easier kilometres at the bottom are gone, and even though they are not hard they always count\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n
Despite this, he believes the stage could become a waiting game. \u201cThere are no big climbs before it and the risk, because it is such a long stage, is that the favourites control each other all the way to the finish\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
With the summit finish arriving as early as stage seven, Pozzovivo cannot see the overall contenders taking major risks. \u201cI do not expect the big riders to fight for the jersey so early. The breakaway could win\u201d he predicts.<\/p>\n
Car\u00ec: the post rest day shock that can flip the Giro<\/p>\n
Pozzovivo ranks the summit finish at Car\u00ec in Switzerland as the third climb of importance. It comes immediately after the rest day and he believes that timing alone makes it volatile.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is an explosive climb that comes after the rest day. It can really shake things up\u201d he says. \u201cCar\u00ec will be more decisive because compared with Pila it is much shorter. Pila is almost twenty kilometres, Car\u00ec is eight or nine.\u201d<\/p>\n
The road itself encourages aggressive racing. \u201cThe road is wide and regular in both cases, almost like something from the Tour de France\u201d he says.\u00a0But the shorter length of Car\u00ec means the pace will be higher and mistakes will be punished immediately.<\/p>\n
He believes it could create significant gaps. \u201cIf they attack early you can make a big difference on gradients like those\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Piancavallo: the final showdown<\/p>\n
The last climb in Pozzovivo\u2019s ranking is the final major summit finish of the Giro, the double ascent of Piancavallo. For him, everything about this stage screams tension.\u00a0\u201cThis is the day of reckoning\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
The double ascent, with a flat section separating them, demands two very different efforts. \u201cYou have to attack it directly, especially on the second ascent\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n
The first ascent can be raced hard too, but only with support. \u201cBetween the first and second climbs there are twenty five kilometres of flat. You need a reference point there\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
If the climb is raced aggressively, the gaps could be decisive. \u201cBecause it comes at the end of the Giro it can make a big impact if tackled strongly\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Memories and an extra climb to consider<\/p>\n
Pozzovivo reflects fondly on both the Giau and Blockhaus. \u201cOn Blockhaus in 2022 I rode strongly and was satisfied with my performance\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n
The Giau brings even older memories. \u201cIn 2012 we traded attacks with Michele Scarponi. The stage finished in Cortina. I went over the top in first place\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Then he adds something unexpected. The toughest climb in pure numbers may not be any of the four headline ascents. \u201cIn terms of numbers the hardest climb of this Giro is Montagna Grande di Viggiano\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
![\"domenicopozzovivo\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/domenicopozzovivo-6637e7427b29c.jpg@webp.webp\")
<\/p>\n
Pozzovivo rode the Giro d’Italia 18 times in his iconic career<\/p>\n
Closing thoughts<\/p>\n
Pozzovivo\u2019s analysis is detailed and precise. He ranks the decisive climbs as Giau, Blockhaus, Car\u00ec and Piancavallo, with Montagna Grande di Viggiano as an extra warning sign. Together they mark the moments where the Giro can fracture, where fatigue can overwhelm planning and where the strongest climbers can finally separate themselves.<\/p>\n
If his reading is correct, the maglia rosa will not be decided by steady endurance but by timing, aggression and the courage to attack on the day of reckoning.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" He identifies four climbs which in his view will define the race. They differ in altitude, length,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":625803,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4104],"tags":[4230,194226,42456,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-625802","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-domenico-pozzovivo","10":"tag-giro-ditalia","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115699738515350483","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=625802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/625803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=625802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=625802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=625802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}