Learn Italian: Dubito che il ciclista possa percorrere questo tratto estenuante. - I doubt that the cyclist can cover this exhausting stretch.

Possa is the present subjunctive form of potere (to be able to / can). You must use the subjunctive mood here because the main verb, dubito (I doubt), expresses uncertainty. When a sentence starts with dubito che (I doubt that), the following verb is always in the subjunctive.

Why does ciclista take the masculine article il if it ends in -a?

Nouns ending in -ista (which often describe professions or hobbies) are special: they end in -a for both men and women in the singular. To show gender, you simply change the article. Il ciclista means a male cyclist, while la ciclista would be a female cyclist. In the plural, the endings do change: i ciclisti for men and le cicliste for women.

Is percorrere related to the verb correre?

Yes! Correre means to run, and the prefix per- often adds the idea of moving through or along something. Together, percorrere means to cover a distance, travel along, or go through a route. Here, it simply means the cyclist is riding along that specific part of the course.

How is the word tratto being used in this sentence?