Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali

This is one of the first stage races of the European season, held when riders are still finding their legs and teams are still calibrating their ambitions. The route usually offers something for multiple rider types across five days, which means the general classification can shift in unexpected ways. It sits in that useful March window when form is genuine but not yet hardened, and when a strong ride here can shape the rest of a rider's spring.

The race typically runs five stages across Emilia-Romagna, with a mix that includes at least one individual time trial, often a team time trial, and several hilly road stages that favor puncheurs and climbers without being mountainous. The time trials tend to create the largest GC gaps, but the road stages are rarely processional. Expect short, steep climbs in the Apennine foothills, narrow roads, and finales that reward positioning and late accelerations. The general classification is usually decided by a combination of time-trial strength and the ability to stay alert on rolling terrain. Breakaways succeed more often here than in bigger stage races, partly because teams are smaller and partly because March form is uneven. The winner is typically a rider who can time trial competently and climb well enough to survive the hillier stages without losing significant time.