2018 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11

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.

Stage 1
4 May 2018 – Jerusalem to Jerusalem, 9.7 km (ITT)

The first rider departed at 13:50 local time (UTC+03:00). The route started alongside the David Citadel Hotel, headed south and then west to the first timecheck, which was at the 5.1 km mark. The riders then turned back east and passed the Knesset. The route passed through a tunnel after 7.3 km, and passed Mamilla Pool about 400 m from the finish line, with a short climb in the last few hundred metres before the finish.

Stage 2
5 May 2018 – Haifa to Tel Aviv, 167 km

Stage 3
6 May 2018 – Beersheba to Eilat, 229 km

Rest day 1
7 May 2018 – Catania

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.

Stage 4
8 May 2018 – Catania to Caltagirone, 202 km

Stage 5
9 May 2018 – Agrigento to Santa Ninfa, 153 km

Stage 6
10 May 2018 – Caltanissetta to Mount Etna, 169 km

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 Category 1 climb of Mount Etna began, to the astrophysical observatory at an altitude of 1736 m.

Stage 7
11 May 2018 – Pizzo to Praia a Mare, 159 km

Stage 8
12 May 2018 – Praia a Mare to Montevergine, 209 km

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 climb, through Mercogliano and Ospedaletto d'Alpinolo, to the finish at an altitude of 1260 m.

Stage 9
13 May 2018 – Pesco Sannita to Gran Sasso, 225 km

The riders will depart heading west and then northwest to Isernia, and continue into a second category 9 km climb, to an altitude of 1252 m, at Roccaraso. After descending north, the race has intermediate sprints at Popoli and Bussi sul Tirino, before a 14 km second category climb to 1190 m at Calascio. The race then continues climbing northwest into the first category 26 km climb, to the finish line at 2135 m, at Campo Imperatore.

Rest day 2
14 May 2018 – Montesilvano

Stage 10
15 May 2018 – Penne to Gualdo Tadino, 244 km

Stage 11
16 May 2018 – Assisi to Osimo, 156 km