Giro d'Italia 2022 - Stage 7 preview
May 13, 2022 - Diamante to Potenza, 196km


Stage 7: Diamante to Potenza
Date: May 13, 2022
Distance: 196km
Race times: 11:55-17:15 (CEST)
Stage type: Hilly
Stage 7’s start and finish locations translate from Italian as ‘diamond’ and ‘power’. The riders will be hoping to have sparkle and💮 dazzling power in the legs in what promises to be a challenging day in the saddle.
Diamante is a true jewel of the Italian coast. With UNESCO blue flag beaches, white-washed walls and historical architecture, the town is a feast for the eyes. Beginning just south of the previous stage’s finish location of Scalea, the riders might feel a sense of déjà vu as the first 16 kilometres areꩵ basically identical t🌺o the final 16km of stage 6. That’s the beginning and the end of the similarity though, as after a reasonably-flat opening stretch of around 40km the rest of the stage is constant undulation.
It’s Friday the 13th but hopefully the day will not prove unlucky for too many. With four categorised climbs and a total of 4,510 metres in elevation gain, once the race departs the coast the climbing begins in earnest, as the Giro tackles its first mountain range, the Apennines. First up, the second-category Passo Colla: 9.3 kilometres at an average gradient of 4.5 per cent. While the GC contenders will be keeping an eye on one another during the course of the day, at this stage in the race it’s possible the day could be one foꦜr the breakaway, with strong climbers such as Lennard Kämna, Esteban Chaves or Bauke Mollema possible candidates for victory.
The toughest test of the d🔥ay is the category 1 Monte Sirino. It’s a long slog of 24.4 kilometres up to a ski resort – the snow should have melted by the time the riders make it to the summit but it will provide a stark contrast to the sun-drenched coas𝄹ts of the last few days.
Next up the riders must deal with th❀e category 2 Montagౠna Grande di Viggiano before they take on second-category Monte Scuro (6.1 kilometres at 9.7 per cent) and third-category La Sellata (7.8 kilometres at 5.9 per cent). While this concludes that day’s categorised climbs, the run-in to the finish in Potenza is far from simple, a short 2.3km climb with 7km remaining.
The final 350 metres, while not classed as a summit finish, do go uphill at around 8 per cent, topping out at 13 per cent, meaning that if a single rider hasn’t made a break for freedom yet, the battle to the finis🅰h line will be a barnstormer. So, too, the arrival of the GC contenders as they scrap for precious seconds.
The latest race conte👍nt, interviews, features, reviews and expert buy🐠ing guides, direct to your inbox!
Katy Madgwick is a freelance writer and broadcaster, covering multiple disciplines across both men's and women's pro cycling. Head of Creators at Domestique Cycling, Katy has written for a broad range of publications, and is a regular co𝓡ntributor to Cyclist Magazine, Cyclingnews, TNT Sports and The Roadbook Cycling Almanack.
On the broadcast side, she is a co-host of the On Yer Bike podcast, occasional contri🌺butor to BBC Radio, and features on CADE Media's Pro Show podcast for the first time in 2025.
She is a lo💝ver of all things French and a cyclo-cross obsessive, and probably ought to get on her✨ actual bike more often.
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Amazon Prime Day bike deals 2025: Save on bikes, helmets, lights and more
Amazon Prime Day is here, and we've unearthed 60 deals that our readers will love -
'I'm sure the big boys will come out to play' – GC contenders expected to clash on punchy Tour de France stage 4 finish in Rouen
Ineos DS Zak Dempster says rollercoaster final could be 'right on the cusp of what Mathieu van der Poel is capable of' -
Giro d'Italia Women abandons: All of the riders who have left the 2025 race so far
Two riders abandoned after the second stage in Aprica leaving 151 riders remaining in the eight-day race -
'I'm not a bad guy' – Bryan Coquard apolgosies after Jasper Philipsen crash at Tour de France, still hit with fine and yellow card
Frenchman emotional after accidentally taking down green jersey in incident that saw him abandon race