Following the previous day's summit finish in Pfalzen, the race continued in the Dolomites with four high-mountain passes over the parcours, culminating in the first-category Passo Giau, the highest point of the previous year's race. The Passo Giau, a climb reaching up to an altitude of - an average gradient of 9.3% - was set to break up the peloton prior to the near- descent into Cortina d'Ampezzo; where the race was being hosted by the town for the first time since 1977. With much of the focus upon those closing climbs - three inside the final of the stage - with the Passo Duran and the Forcella Staulanza coming before the Passo Giau, there was no immediate breakaway from the start.