The sprinters who failed to make their mark the day before will immediately have another chance in the 138-kilometre Bergamo-Cremona. From an altimetrical point of view, the route is even easier, basically pan-flat, except for the short and gentle Belfuggito climb to be tackled halfway through the stage.

The departure will be organised at the Kilometro Rosso, one of Europe’s leading innovation clusters, a modern and dynamic meeting point for researchers and entrepreneurs and a true agent of technology transfer. Today, the campus is home to around 80 Resident Partners – companies, laboratories and research centres – with a total of over 2,500 employees and researchers. More generally, the city of Bergamo does not need much of an introduction, as it is one of the main cities of Lombardy and a fascinating blend of history and modernity thanks to its Upper and Lower parts of town. If you happen to be in town, we recommend that you try traditional dishes such as casoncelli (stuffed pasta, a kind of ravioli) and polenta.

Cremona, for its part, is famous for its rich musical history, in particular for its violin-making tradition and craft. The city was the birthplace of famous violin makers such as Antonio Stradivari, Andrea Amati and Giuseppe Guarneri. Food lovers should taste typical dishes such as torrone and marubini (another kind of ravioli).

Bergamo is obviously a city of great cycling, not only because it annually hosts, as start or finish location, the prestigious autumn classic Il Lombardia, but also because it has often served as stage venue for the Giro d’Italia, other than being the birthplace of Felice Gimondi, one of the greatest ever in this sport. Cremona, on the other hand, is home to one of the most important classics at U23/Elite level, the Circuito del Porto. As per the Giro d’Italia, the last time the pink caravan arrived in this town was in 2006, with a team time trial starting from Piacenza.