The 108th Giro d'Italia, one of the three Grand Tours, the most prestigious road cycling races, will take riders through Slovenia in stage 14 on 24 May.

The 186-kilometre stage will start in Treviso, Italy and at about kilometre 140 the riders will enter Slovenia in the hilly wine-making region of Brda.

After two brief returns to Italy, the race will end in Slovenia's Nova Gorica after two rounds through the city and its Italian neighbour Gorizia, the organizers announced on 13 January.

The two cities are this year's European Capital of Culture.

The last time Giro riders came into Slovenia was in 2021, when they followed a similar route.

After years of successes by Slovenian riders Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar, cycling is a major spectator sport in Slovenia and if 2021 is anything to go by, huge crowds are expected along the route.

While Pogačar, the defending champion, does not plan to race the Giro, focusing instead on defending his triple Tour de France title and his debut appearance at the Vuelta, Roglič, the 2023 winner, will be on the start along with his Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe teammate Jan Tratnik and Matevž Govekar (Bahrain-Victorious).