The cycling caravan will ride through both Goriška Brda (Gorizia Hills) and Nova Gorica, and will even pass Trg Evrope (Transalpina Square). The stage will end in Gorizia, Italy.

On Wednesday this was officially confirmed by the organisers, who presented details of the race that has been taking place ever since 1909. In Goriška (Gorizia Region) and Brda, everyone is thrilled at the news, while acknowledging that the credit goes primarily to one person. It is thanks to Edy Reja, a footballer and successful football coach of Slovenian descent living across the border in Italy, that the world’s best cyclists will start the fifteenth stage of the Giro d’Italia on 23 May in Grado, Italy, ride for two hours through Brda, then four kilometres along the Slovenian-Italian border in Nova Gorica, and cross the finish line in Gorizia.

An important factor in bringing the Giro back to Slovenia was the outstanding achievements of Slovenian cyclists, and the success of a previous Slovenian stage of the race across Goriška. Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič will most likely not participate in the Giro this year, but Slovenians will be able to cheer for Jana Tratnik and Matej Mohorič.

The Giro, which attracts around 800 million viewers from across the globe, also provides an excellent opportunity for promoting tourism in the region. After winning the prestigious title of the 2025 European Capital of Culture and the Golden Stone award as Slovenia’s most development-oriented municipality, Nova Gorica is rightfully proud to have achieved yet another success: the official confirmation that part of a Giro d’Italia stage will run through the city. At the same time, the race will add to the diverse cross-border activities taking place within the context of the 2025 European Capital of Culture, a title which the city recently won.