Discovering the Giro-E, the Giro d'Italia using e-bikes

Routes, numbers and trivia about the stage race using electric bicycles

What is the Giro-E and who participates in it?

The Giro-E is a unique e-bike experience at the international level which takes place during the same days, from May 6 - 28, and on the same roads as the Giro d’Italia to raise awareness among the general public about sustainable mobility and all the issues related to environmental sustainability. The Giro-E is done using approved pedal-assisted racing bicycles, also called e-road bikes, with 250W motors that are capable of reaching a maximum speed of 25 km/h. There are also time trial stages just like in the traditional race, which in the Giro-E are called regularity trials. The 2023 edition is the fifth of its kind and will features 20 stages and 1,600 participants divided into 15 teams covering a daily distance of between 70 and 100 km and with a level of difficulty ranging from neophyte to expert.

Where does the Giro-E take place?

The Giro-E departure will be on Saturday, May 6 from Fossacesia, along the Trabocchi Coast, one of the most beautiful stretches of the Abruzzo Riviera. This area is known for the striking presence of ancient fishing rigs on stilts along the shoreline, a typical feature of the local seaside villages. The stages cover much of Italy from south to north. The first week will take place among the fantastic panoramas of Southern Italy, before slowly heading to the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines and finally embracing the Alps in the northwest, from Piedmont to Trentino. There is also a planned crossing into Switzerland, to reach Crans Montana in the canton of Valais, one of the region’s top tourist destinations thanks to its position on a very sunny plateau overlooking the Rhone Valley.

What are the stages of the Giro-E

Saturday, May 06 | Fossacesia-Ortona: 28.3 km (Difficulty: neophyte)

Sunday, May 07 | Chieti-San Salvo: 79.2 km (Difficulty: beginner)

Monday, May 08 | Cerignola-Melfi: 104.4 km (Difficulty: intermediate)

Tuesday, May 09 | Lioni-Lake Lageno: 50.3 km (Difficulty: beginner)

Wednesday, May 10 | Eboli-Salerno: 55 km (Difficulty: neophyte)

Thursday, May 11 | Sorrento-Naples: 54.9 km (Difficulty: beginner)

Friday, May 12 | Pratola Peligna-Campo Imperatore: 75.1 km (Difficulty: expert)

Saturday, May 13 | Gualdo Tadino-Fossombrone: 74.9 km (Difficulty: beginner)

Sunday, May 14 | San Mauro Pascoli-Cesena: 32 km (Difficulty: neophyte)

Monday, May 15 | REST

Tuesday, May 16 | Castelnuovo di Garfagnana-Viareggio: 81.2 km (Difficulty: intermediate)

Wednesday, May 17 | Novi Ligure-Tortona: 43.5 km (Difficulty: beginner)

Thursday, May 18 | Volvera-Rivoli: 69.2 km (Difficulty: beginner)

Friday, May 19 | Verbier-Crans Montana: 66.3 km (Difficulty: expert)

Saturday, May 20 | Stresa-Cassano Magnago: 54.4 km (Difficulty: beginner)

Sunday, May 21 | LVF (San Paolo d'Argon) - Bergamo: 64.1 km (Difficulty: intermediate)

Monday, May 22 | REST

Tuesday, May 23 | Levico Terme-Monte Bondone: 47.3 km (Difficulty: expert)

Wednesday, May 24 | Monastier di Treviso-Caorle: 65.9 km (Difficulty: beginner)

Thursday, May 25 | Belluno-Val di Zoldo: 51.6 km (Difficulty: expert)

Friday, May 26 | Cortina d'Ampezzo-Tre Cime di Lavaredo: 37 km (Difficulty: intermediate)

Saturday, May 27 | REST

Sunday, May 28 | Rome-Rome: 35 km (Difficulty: neophyte)

What climbs are planned in the Giro-E?

We are talking about e-bikes and therefore climbs are not seen as a deterrent but instead as a chance to enjoy more of the landscape. For example, the climbs planned for the first week in the Vulture area are not particularly challenging and wind through chestnut and beech forests that are typical of the area in an almost pristine environment.

Certainly the climb between Pratola and Campo Imperatore is more strenuous, featuring irregular inclines.

The second week will be easier on average, however the stage in the program going towards Crans Montana stands out with its 1,840 meters of elevation gain that is certainly only suitable for the most well-trained athletes.

The third week is the most challenging. It will start from Rovereto heading towards Monte Bondone covering 69 km and 2,900 meters of elevation gain, with a challenging route that goes through several passes before the legendary final climb to Bondone.

The experience will continue with the Venetian stage from Belluno to Val di Zoldo for more than 90 very intense kilometers. Then the beautiful closing, with the iconic climb from Cortina to Tre Cime di Lavaredo, a short stage in terms of kilometers but definitely an intense one, especially in the second half when the gradients reach almost 10%. In comparison, the last Roman stage will be decidedly less strenuous but just as impressive with the arrival into the Eternal City.

Who will be on the Enel X Way team?

Thanks to the participation of Enel X Way, the Giro-E will provide the chance to debunk for the general public a number of clichés about electric mobility. In fact, at the Green Fun Village, set up at the departure of each stage, there will be a number of activities open to all members of the public. For example, playing one of the games you can discover that in Italy there are more than 41,000 charging station for electric vehicles, that the average highway range is equivalent to 300 km, that the Enel X Way charging stations in Italy use electricity produced from 100% certified renewable energy sources and that car batteries can be used as storage systems during their second life.

It is indeed possible to give batteries a second life, thereby reducing the amount of waste, limiting the extraction of new minerals and supporting the circular economy. Reuse of electric car batteries is already a reality and follows two main paths, either the recycling of materials to use in new batteries or their utilization as mobile storage systems.