Race Design Thread

[mikii4567]

Giro d'Italia
Stage 3: Brindisi -> Mottola
166km
Hilly stage


The first stage that may have some sort of importance, after the ITT. Whilst it may not see any GC action, as there is an MTF coming up (!), it may see some interesting fighting in the breakaway, especially on the final climb.

The start is in Brindisi, still in Apulia but more north. Another Roman city, it has a large castle with massive square towers and another cathedral, this time constructed in the 11th-12th century. The riders head west, into the mainland, and cross it completely, hitting the west coast at the Traguardo Volante in Taranto. This is an important commercial and military port, and is known as the "Spartan City", as it was the only colony founded by Sparta.

From here, it gets a 'bit' more tough. There are three cat. 4 climbs in the mid-section of the stage, and also there is the second Traguardo Volante, in Martina Franca. This municipality has a beautiful stone old town, and prominent Baroque Gates. The final climb is 2.7km long and averages 8.2%, and brings us to the finish in Mottola, a town inhabited since prehistory, and important because of its location on a hill. The Gulf of Taranto can be clearly seen. The town's economy now relies mostly on agriculture and food production.

Like I said, not likely to be very decisive, but can deliver an interesting battle towards the end.

Start: Brindisi, Via Liberta (km 0 is on the SS7 Via Appia, near Sant'Elia)
Finish: Mottola, Via Carlo Goldoni
Intermediate sprints: Taranto, Martina Franca
Feed zone: San Simone
Climbs:
Comune di Martina Franca (4th Category, 400 m, 2.9 Km at 6.0%, Km 87.8)
San Simone (4th Category, 462 m, 5.9 Km at 3.5%, Km 105.4)
Palagianello (4th Category, 239 m, 3.2 Km at 5.1%, Km 157.3)
Mottola (3rd Category, 343 m, 2.7 Km at 8.2%, finish).

[railxmig]

Giro d'Italia
Stage 3: Brindisi -> Mottola
166km
Hilly stage


The first stage that may have some sort of importance, after the ITT. Whilst it may not see any GC action, as there is an MTF coming up (!), it may see some interesting fighting in the breakaway, especially on the final climb.

The start is in Brindisi, still in Apulia but more north. Another Roman city, it has a large castle with massive square towers and another cathedral, this time constructed in the 11th-12th century. The riders head west, into the mainland, and cross it completely, hitting the west coast at the Traguardo Volante in Taranto. This is an important commercial and military port, and is known as the "Spartan City", as it was the only colony founded by Sparta.

From here, it gets a 'bit' more tough. There are three cat. 4 climbs in the mid-section of the stage, and also there is the second Traguardo Volante, in Martina Franca. This municipality has a beautiful stone old town, and prominent Baroque Gates. The final climb is 2.7km long and averages 8.2%, and brings us to the finish in Mottola, a town inhabited since prehistory, and important because of its location on a hill. The Gulf of Taranto can be clearly seen. The town's economy now relies mostly on agriculture and food production.

Like I said, not likely to be very decisive, but can deliver an interesting battle towards the end.

Start: Brindisi, Via Liberta (km 0 is on the SS7 Via Appia, near Sant'Elia)
Finish: Mottola, Via Carlo Goldoni
Intermediate sprints: Taranto, Martina Franca
Feed zone: San Simone
Climbs:
Comune di Martina Franca (4th Category, 400 m, 2.9 Km at 6.0%, Km 87.8)
San Simone (4th Category, 462 m, 5.9 Km at 3.5%, Km 105.4)
Palagianello (4th Category, 239 m, 3.2 Km at 5.1%, Km 157.3)
Mottola (3rd Category, 343 m, 2.7 Km at 8.2%, finish).

Interesting choice of finish. I would personally choose Matera as HTF and the stage wouldn't need to loop around so much but i guess it wouldn't work with the next stage. Also, Comune di Martina Franca is an interesting name for a climb . When i was doing Giro i used the IGM maps to get the names, but it's more of an army map and it's very wonky to work with. Maybe someone else has better maps to work with. Click on "Immagini" (a photos icon) on the bottom panel and then double click on whatever map you want. For now i recommend IGM maps (250.000, 100.000 and 25.000 scale).

This Comune di Martina Franca hill seems to be in the middle of nowhere. There seems to be a masseria (farm) nearby called Franzullo if i'm looking in the right place.

[mikii4567]

This Comune di Martina Franca hill seems to be in the middle of nowhere. There seems to be a masseria (farm) nearby called Franzullo if i'm looking in the right place.

I just went by the name of the comune, I know that that's been done in the past by some race organisers.

Giro d'Italia
Stage 4: Massafra -> Monte Sirino
182km
Medium-mountain stage


The first MTF of the race. Although Monte Sirino is not the hardest of climbs, it's still a pretty interesting MTF that may see the field being split a bit. I mostly envision that this stage could be similar to Roccaraso of this year - breakaway win, and GC favourites having their 'battle' behind. Oh, and BTW, this climb was used most recently in the 90s, with three stage finishes.

We start in Massafra, still in Apulia. A town founded by refugees in the 5th century, it has a castle from 970 and a 16th century church. The riders head south, towards the coast, and follow it 50km or so. After they turn inland, we begin to get some action. There's an intermediate sprint in Caprarico first, followed by the feed zone, before the first cat. 2 climb of the Giro. Tempa Rossa is a climb that is 6.2km long and averages 7.2%, so it's likely to be at least slightly selective and it must reduce the peloton. After that there is a cat. 3 climb, the short and shallow Armento, 20kms or so of flat, the second sprint in Grumento Nova and then the second cat. 3 climb, Moliterno. Then we get onto the finish climb; Sirino. The hardest climb of the day; 11.0 Km at 7.3%. Got to see some action on it, don't we?

Tappa Jalabert
In my Giro, I'm commemorating some famous riders' victories at the Giro, or simply some of the best known produces that Italy has. This stage commemorates the Frenchman, Laurent Jalabert. Whilst his palmares mostly consists of Tour and Vuelta victories - two points jerseys and two mountain jerseys at the Tour and an overall win in the 1995 Vuelta, he did actually take part in the Giro twice, in 1992 and 1999. He didn't complete his first Giro, but in 1999, he won stage 4 of the race, from Vibo Valentia to Terme Luigiane. On the next stage, he and Pantani worked furiously to bring back a select GC group whilst racing to the MTF in Sirino. They succeeded, and Jalabert got to wear his Maglia Rosa, which set him up for a good GC position at the end of the race - ultimately, he finished 4th.

Start: Massafra, Via Brindisi (km 0 is on the SP35, near Elena Marina)
Finish: Monte Sirino, Lago Laudemio
Intermediate sprints: Caprarico, Grumento Nova
Feed zone: Alianetto di Sotto
Climbs:
Tempa Rossa (2nd Category, 785 m, 6.4 Km at 7.2%, Km 110.2)
Armento (3rd Category, 973 m, 3.3 Km at 5.3%, Km 131.1)
Moliterno (3rd Category, 831 m, 3.4 Km at 6.6%, Km 161.9)
Monte Sirino (2nd Category, 1546 m, 11.0 Km at 7.3%, finish)

[Forever The Best]

Great to see Monte Sirino. And there will probably be some good gaps on the final climb. And the climb is harder than Roccaraso so it should do more damage if a rider isn't on form early in the race.

[mikii4567]

Giro d'Italia
Stage 5: Brienza -> Benevento
217km
Medium-mountain stage


The third hilly/medium-mountain stage in a row, this time not a HTF/MTF, but nonetheless still likely to be an interesting challenge for the breakaway. The start is in Brienza, known for being the home of the ruins of Caracciolo’s Castle. After the start, there is a long descent and then the cat. 3 climb of Caggiano, followed by a descent and false flat, before the cat. 3 Scorzo climb. After this, there's a flat section, with the two intermediate sprints, in Eboli and Battapaglia. We then have a cat. 4 climb before the difficulties of the day. The cat. 2 climb of Valico della Carbonara isn't particularly steep, at 5.3%, but is nonetheless 14.4km long. After this we have Monte Terminio, which is also 14.4km, but is even less steep, at 4.8%. So whilst these climbs aren't going to be very selective, they can nonetheless present an interesting challenge, and tire some legs.

The descent is broken in half by a cat. 4 climb, and then we have cat. 3 - Montefredane. Again, not too testing. The final climb is also cat. 3 - Colle di Campore. 5.2% means that once again we're not going steeply uphill, but can still challenge some. The finish is in Benevento, a Roman city with an 8th century Church (Santa Sofia). We've seen an end there in 2016, won by Greipel, but there the stage was almost completely flat. Maybe an interesting challenge for a breakaway, and a rest for the GC favourites.

Start: Brienza, SS95 (km 0 is on the SS95)
Finish: Benevento, Corso Garibaldi
Intermediate sprints: Eboli, Battapaglia
Feed zone: Maggese, (ommited from the profile by accident, but it would be after the Carbonara descent)
Climbs:
Caggiano (3rd Category, 802 m, 4.8 Km at 7.7%, Km 19.7)
Scorzo (3rd Category, 463 m, 2.3 Km at 8.7%, Km 44.9)
Montecorvino Rovella (4th Category, 305 m, 1.8 Km at 5.6%, Km 86.7)
Valico della Carbonara (2nd Category, 967 m, 14.4 Km at 5.3%, Km 106.7)
Monte Terminio (2nd Category, 1248 m, 14.4 Km at 4.8%, Km 132.4)
Sorbo Serpico (4th Category, 775 m, 1.3 Km at 4.5%, Km 156.1)
Montefredane (3rd Category, 602 m, 6.4 Km at 4.9%, Km 175.8)
Colle di Campore (3rd Category, 714 m, 10.2 Km at 5.2%, Km 197.7)

[mikii4567]

Giro d'Italia
Stage 6: Benevento -> Frosinone
174km
Flat stage


The second flat stage of this Giro, and the second opportunity for the sprinters. With no categorised climbs, this will be their last opportunity for quite a long time.

The start is in Benevento, where we finished yesterday. The riders will head north-west, passing the city of Telese, an spa town after 26 km, where we will see the first Traguardo Volante. The second will be in Cassino, at the foothill of the summit known for an important battle during WWII and for its abbey built on a hilltop. The line, meanwhile, is drawn in Frosinone, a city which has frequently been destroyed and rebuilt in the past. It rapidly grew in the 17th century and was a known agricultural centre for this part of Italy. Today, though, it mostly focuses on industry and activities in the tertiary business sector.

Start: Benevento, Corso Garibaldi (km 0 is on the SS372)
Finish: Frosinone, SR156
Intermediate sprints: Telese, Cassino
Feed zone: Mignano Monte Lungo

[fauniera]

VUELTA A ESPANA

(Thu) stage 17: Reus - Benicàssim, 177 km




Further south it goes; we are leaving Catalunya and enter Comunitat Valenciana. The stage is flat but includes two sharp little climbs in the final 10 km, which should make for interesting racing.




The first hill is 0,9 km at 9,8%.



descent:


The second hill is 0,7 km at 10%.




Reus


Benicàssim

[railxmig]

Giro d'Italia
Stage 5: Brienza -> Benevento
217km
Medium-mountain stage


The third hilly/medium-mountain stage in a row, this time not a HTF/MTF, but nonetheless still likely to be an interesting challenge for the breakaway. The start is in Brienza, known for being the home of the ruins of Caracciolo’s Castle. After the start, there is a long descent and then the cat. 3 climb of Caggiano, followed by a descent and false flat, before the cat. 3 Scorzo climb. After this, there's a flat section, with the two intermediate sprints, in Eboli and Battapaglia. We then have a cat. 4 climb before the difficulties of the day. The cat. 2 climb of Valico della Carbonara isn't particularly steep, at 5.3%, but is nonetheless 14.4km long. After this we have Monte Terminio, which is also 14.4km, but is even less steep, at 4.8%. So whilst these climbs aren't going to be very selective, they can nonetheless present an interesting challenge, and tire some legs.

The descent is broken in half by a cat. 4 climb, and then we have cat. 3 - Montefredane. Again, not too testing. The final climb is also cat. 3 - Colle di Campore. 5.2% means that once again we're not going steeply uphill, but can still challenge some. The finish is in Benevento, a Roman city with an 8th century Church (Santa Sofia). We've seen an end there in 2016, won by Greipel, but there the stage was almost completely flat. Maybe an interesting challenge for a breakaway, and a rest for the GC favourites.

Start: Brienza, SS95 (km 0 is on the SS95)
Finish: Benevento, Corso Garibaldi
Intermediate sprints: Eboli, Battapaglia
Feed zone: Maggese, (ommited from the profile by accident, but it would be after the Carbonara descent)
Climbs:
Caggiano (3rd Category, 802 m, 4.8 Km at 7.7%, Km 19.7)
Scorzo (3rd Category, 463 m, 2.3 Km at 8.7%, Km 44.9)
Montecorvino Rovella (4th Category, 305 m, 1.8 Km at 5.6%, Km 86.7)
Valico della Carbonara (2nd Category, 967 m, 14.4 Km at 5.3%, Km 106.7)
Monte Terminio (2nd Category, 1248 m, 14.4 Km at 4.8%, Km 132.4)
Sorbo Serpico (4th Category, 775 m, 1.3 Km at 4.5%, Km 156.1)
Montefredane (3rd Category, 602 m, 6.4 Km at 4.9%, Km 175.8)
Colle di Campore (3rd Category, 714 m, 10.2 Km at 5.2%, Km 197.7)

Your next post suggests a rather busy couple of days so i guess such a breakaway stage should be fine. If someone wants to combine breakaway action with maybe some minor GC skirmishes and doesn't care about route realism (even if Giro doesn't shy from narrow roads) this particular person might try something like this:

Stage 5: Brienza -> Benevento


I've slightly changed the last two climbs. First one i just copied from my own stage to Salerno with a short but steep (around 10-15%) ramp on Via Cupali in Prata di Principato Ultra. It would result in roughly 10km more of transition from Sorbo Serpico. The last climb is more interesting however as there is a narrow but very steep alternative ramp to the village of Chianchetelle. It's roughly 1,3km at over 15% with max definitely over 20%. The last 200m in the village are on cobbles. I think this ramp could justify upgrading the whole climb to cat. 2. However, this ramp would be roughly 25km from the finish line, so i don't expect any GC changes unless someone is in bad form.


Montefredane from Prata di Principato Ultra.


Chianchetelle, first 1,3km of Colle di Campore.


Road up to Chianchetelle.

I was also playing around the north Spain a bit to maybe finally find something not presented previously by Libertine Seguros. This is probably my best shot. While the road to Vidángoz (called Carretera) is probably unsuitable unless heavilly cleaned up the last two dirt sections seems to be in fine condition.

Oloron-Sainte-Marie - Monasterio de Leyre, 204km


Apparently my Llivia stage was received relatively well. This time however it's much tougher with two ESP (HC) climbs Soudet and Larrau to shake off the bulkier guys to mostly leave i assume less suitable for rough surfaces guys in the peloton. While both ESP climbs are tough Vidángoz has over 20% sections with 1km at over 15%.


Vidángoz.

So this is some sort of a homage to my own Llivia stage from Tour de France and the Pampeluna '96 stage. All of the roads exept Vidángoz seems to be rideable. Also, this stage can finish either in the monastery or in Javier if you don't want any MTFs.


Road up to Vidángoz.


Dirt section near Sangüesa.


Dirt section near Javier.

I'm not planning on doing a Vuelta as there are plenty of them around. This is only a lone stage. You can combine it with an MTF day before in either Formigal (easier option), Gourette/Abisque (tougher version) or Issarbe (LS option). Last kms from Lumbier can also work well as part of a medium mountain stage in Novarra or some kind of a Pampeluna one-day race as it's not far from the city.

[Tonton]

I really like mikii's design so far !

These dirt roads...yikes...the Vidangoz one is like the one behind my house: one flat, a broken spoke, the gift that keeps giving to my LBS .

[fauniera]

VUELTA A ESPANA

(Fri) stage 18: Castellón de la Plana - Estación de Esquí de Javalambre, 188 km




We have reached the final weekend, time for a crucial mountain plus sterrato stage. The start is in Castellón de la Plana, a town of 170.000 people.



The first 100 km are inland and upwards, from sea level we are climbing to nearly 2.000 meters. After 60 km we enter Aragon, where we will stay for the rest of the stage.


Port del Remolcador



Puerto de Linares



Estación de Esquí de Valdelinares




The next 60 km are fairly easy and get us to the base of Sierra de Javalambre. The final 24 km are entirely on sterrato (except for the last few hundred meters at the ski station) and include the climb of Puerto de Javalambre.





Puerto de Javalambre is 10,4 km long and has a average gradient of 6,5%. The climb goes up in three steps, interrupted by false flats. The first step is 2,4 km at 8,5%, the second 2,2 km at 8,2% and includes half a kilometer at 11%. The third step is 2,2 km at 8,5%. I'm pretty sure the race will explode on these demanding sterrato slopes.






We have now reached a high plateau, where we will stay for the rest of the stage. There are still 10 km to go, all on sterrato, on undulating terrain. The scenery is a completely barren landscape in the middle of nowhere.






The whole sterrato section is on Streetview, in case you can't see the imgur pictures. With 3 km to go we crack the 2.000 meter mark (just) on the highest point of the stage. The rest is downhill to the ski station of Javalambre. Here is a video of the descent, but only to the 1:16 mark, when they should have turned left to stay on our course.



There is plenty more sterrato in this area, by the way. One could build a true sterrato monster stage here, the only problem is that the ski station is the only possible location for a stage finish. Apart from that there are only tiny villages and wilderness.

[mikii4567]

Your next post suggests a rather busy couple of days so i guess such a breakaway stage should be fine.

Yes, oh boy, yes. I actually think I may have been too sadistic with the next stages.
The next flat stage is Stage 13.

I really like mikii's design so far !.

Thank you!

Giro d'Italia
Stage 7: Frosinone -> Monte Terminillo (Plan de Valli)
225km
Mountain stage



Yay, look at me being boring and choosing such a common climb for the first cat. 1 MTF... Thing is, I quite like the Terminillo as a climb, and given the length of this stage (225km) the riders will surely feel it in their legs. And this could have an effect on the remainder of the week, as the other two stages before the first rest day will also be focused on the GC and creating gaps.

Start is in Frosinone, where the riders ended the day before. Shortly after the start they face the cat. 2 Santopadre, which is 9.2km long at an average of 5.7%, so nothing too difficult. The middle section (about 160 km) is flat, passing through the Traguardo Volante in Avezzano and then the feed zone. There's a cat. 3 climb before the riders arrive in Rieti, for the second intermediate sprint, followed by another cat. 3. This leads onto the final climb, which, at 15.1km and 7.4%, is more than likely to create gaps. We saw Quintana secure his Tirreno-Adriatico win here a couple of weeks ago, and now it should be a GC battle again.

Tappa Valetti
This time, we're commemorating Giovanni Valetti, a two-time winner of the Giro d'Italia, in 1938 and 1939. Each time he did it, he won an individual time trial which started in Rieti and concluded on the Terminillo. He also finished in the top ten of the "Corsa Rosa" twice, in 1936 (5th) and 1937 (2nd). Those editions also replicated the Lazio Province MTT, but the first time it was Giuseppe Olmo who took the win, whilst Gino Bartali triumfed the year after. The climb then fell out of use, and didn't return to the Giro until 1987. Valetti, meanwhile, whose career ended in 1948 (although his last Giro was in 1940), a great climber, surely deserves a stage to himself, and why not make it the one where he took two victories on his journey to Italian glory?

Start: Frosinone, Via Marittima (km 0 is on the SP278, near Crescenzi)
Finish: Monte Terminillo (Pian de Valli), SS40bis
Intermediate sprints: Avezzano, Rieti
Feed zone: Cappelle
Climbs:
Santopadre (2nd Category, 692 m, 9.3 Km at 5.4%, Km 31.2)
Roccaranieri (3rd Category, 776 m, 5.6 Km at 6.3%, Km 171.9)
Cantalice (3rd Category, 679 m, 5.2 Km at 5.1%, Km 204.2)
Monte Terminillo (1st Category, 1675 m, 15.1 Km at 7.4%, finish)

[Forever The Best]

@fauniera Very good stage. A harder version of Montalcino 2010 stage. Also when you finished the previous stage in Benicassim I thought you may do the San Rafael-Valdelinares-Villarroya-Tarascon-Valdelinares combo. Taarscon-Valdelinares final with many climbs before would be great as a weekend stage in a future race. Maybe Catalunya can use it in the future instead of La Molina.

[mikii4567]

Giro d'Italia
Stage 8: Rieti -> Porto Sant'Elpidio
227km
Medium-mountain stage


Oh, geez, this will be a day of pain, suffering and breaking legs. The profile itself is up and down all day and although the highest category we'll see today is cat. 3, some of the walls and slopes will definitely hurt. And given that there's 12 climbs on the menu, this really is reminiscent of a Flèche Wallonne or Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Oh, and by the way, it's the longest stage of this Giro, at 227km (two 220+km stages in a row... mmmmm )

We leave from Rieti, at the foot of Terminillo, where the previous stage finished. From km 0, it's a furious ride through Lazio and from the entry into Marche, it gets tricky. After the intermediate sprints in Acquasanta Terme and Ascoli Piceno is when the climbing starts. Some of the ascents are at about 5%, but some come close to averaging 8%. None of the climbs are particularly long, though, with the longest being Monterubbiano, at 4.5km.

There are two climbs that I would like to draw attention to, though, and those are the final two. First is Montegranato Nord (there are two climbs to Montegranato, one from the south and one from the north, and the KOM sprints are in different places. I'm talking about the second ascent). It's only 1.1km long but averages a painful 14.0%, with sections near 20%. Also it's fairly consistent, so we don't go below 10% at all. I mean, even the streetview of it is difficult to watch.

btw, that shows the climb from the reverse

The second is the final ascent, Sant'Elpidio a Mare. We've seen it in Tirreno-Adriatico, where it was known to cause difficulty, especially in 2013, when it was climbed in pouring rain. The victor was Peter Sagan. At 2.0km and 8.2%, it will be the finishing touch to a brutal day.


The line is in Porto Sant'Elpidio, again, a town known from the Race of two Seans,

Speaking of which....
Tappa Tirreno-Adriatico
RCS Sport likes to commemorate its other races, and I'm doing so by visiting regions utilised by the spring race. This year's edition was the 52nd ever race. It was made in 1966 by a Lazio-based club to contrast the other climbers' races, held primarily in the North. Named the Three Days of the South, the start of the first stage was in Rome and, two days later, the finish was in Pescara. Dino Zandegù was the victor. The race is named after the fact that it links the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic seas. Currently, it starts in Lido di Camaiore and ends with an ITT in San Benedetto del Tronto. Porto Sant'Elpidio, along with the area seen in this stage is visited year-on-year (most recently with a hilly stage ending in Fermo, claimed by Sagan) in the concluding section of the race.

Start: Rieti, Via Battistini (km 0 is on the SS29 in Vignaletto)
Finish: Porto Sant'Elpidio, Via Trieste
Intermediate sprints: Acquasanta Terme, Ascoli Piceno
Feed zone: Castagneti
Climbs:
Morro Reatino (3rd Category, 762 m, 7.0 Km at 5.4%, Km 7.0)
Fuscello (3rd Category, 1101 m, 8.1 Km at 4.3%, Km 20.1)
Maltignano (4th Category, 292 m, 3.5 Km at 6.2%, Km 122.8)
Offida (4th Category, 317 m, 1.8 Km at 5.9%, Km 144.7)
Trivio (4th Category, 287 m, 2.3 Km at 7.3%, Km 152.4)
Biondi (4th Category, 245 m, 2.7 Km at 5.9%, Km 163.4)
Monterubbiano (3rd Category, 360 m, 4.5 Km at 5.8%, Km 170.8)
Fermo (4th Category, 201 m, 3.0 Km at 5.5%, Km 181.1)
Monte Urbano (4th Category, 203 m, 2.3 Km at 6.2%, Km 190.8)
Montegranato (sud) (4th Category, 179 m, 2.4 Km at 5.5%, Km 198.2)
Montegranato (nord) (3rd Category, 224 m, 1.1 Km at 14.0%, Km 209.1)
Sant'Elpidio a Mare (3rd Category, 233 m, 2.0 Km at 8.2%, Km 216.2).

[Libertine Seguros]

Of course in a real Giro, they'd only categorise two or three of those, and probably not the hardest ones either 0_O

[mikii4567]

Of course in a real Giro, they'd only categorise two or three of those, and probably not the hardest ones either 0_O

True this Giro is in a new world, though - no Acquerone, no Vegni, it's me

[mikii4567]

Giro d'Italia
Stage 9: Porto Sant'Elpidio -> San Giacomo
122km
Mountain stage



The conclusion of a tough three days of climbing in the Appenines, this stage is much shorter and consequently should be more dynamic. In the past, we've seen that such short stages could have an impact when preceeded by a long, grueling day (TdF '11, Vuelta '16) and hopefully this time we should also see some interesting attacks, especially on the final MTF.

Start is in Porto Sant'Elpidio, where the previous stage ended. There's about 25 km of flat, during which the first Traguardi Volante is held (in Piane di Montegiorgio) after which we get three cat. 3 climbs one after the other. A false-flat leads onto the cat. 2 Montemoro, which averages 6.4% over 6 km. This is followed by a long descent and then another cat. 2, Monsampietro. A short wall (9.3% over 3 km) is the KOM Sprint and then a false flat, before a descent. There's a cat. 3 climb following, before a descent into Ascoli Piceno, for the second intermediate sprint (2nd day in a row ).

From there on, it's uphill all the way, to San Giacomo. 13.6km at 6.9% isn't as imposing as Terminillo two days ago, but still should be the site for attacks given that the next day is a rest day and consequently that there is nothing to lose. We've seen this climb twice in professional cycling (as far as I'm aware); in 2002, during stage 13 of the Giro, won by Julio Alberto Pérez and in 2007, during Tirreno-Adriatico, with Matteo Bono taking the win.

A nice conclusion to (hopefully) an enjoyable first week of racing!

Start: Porto Sant'Elpidio, Via Trieste (km 0 is on the Via Faleriense in La Luce)
Finish: San Giacomo, Piazza Luigi Ferri
Intermediate sprints: Piane di Montegiorgio, Ascoli Piceno
Feed zone: Palmiano
Climbs:
Caselunghe (3rd Category, 364 m, 2.7 Km at 5.2%, Km 29.9)
Monte San Martino (3rd Category, 429 m, 3.0 Km at 6.5%, Km 34.6)
Scentella (3rd Category, 574 m, 4.6 Km at 6.2%, Km 41.8)
Montemoro (2nd Category, 781 m, 6.0 Km at 6.4%, Km 55.5)
Monsampietro (2nd Category, 619 m, 3.1 Km at 9.2%, Km 72.6)
Cimagallo (3rd Category, 370 m, 3.8 Km at 6.2%, Km 101.0)
San Giacomo (1st Category, 1093 m, 13.7 Km at 6.8%, Finish)

[mikii4567]

I'm posting everyday... what has happened????? (touch wood )

Giro d'Italia
Stage 10: Perugia -> Siena
182km
Hilly stage



We all love a bit of white roads here and there, and on this stage of my Giro we're having 26.9 km of sterrato. Nowhere near what we see in the real spring classic, but still could produce an interesting stage, particularly if we were to see rain.

The rest day was used for a short transfer west, into Perugia, where the stage start is today. The riders head west, entering Tuscany shortly before the first intermediate sprint, in Montepulciano. Then it's about 30 km of rolling terrain before the feed zone, which is followed by the second Traguardo Volante, in Buonconvento. That is where the first sector away from asphalt is.

Some of the sectors I'm using come from Strade Bianche:
- 1. Buonconvento is the same as 4. Commune di Murlo, but done in reverse, hence the different name.
- 2. Bagnaia a Grotti Alto is the same as 2. Bagnaia, but I just felt like adding Grotti Alto given that this was going to be a categorised climb (cat. 3), and one outside of the town it is normally named after.
- 5. Monteaperti and 6. Colle Pinzuto are used exactly like in March.

Between the first two sectors there is another climb, of cat. 4, but this is on asphalt.

I was considering using Monte Sainte Marie, but didn't want to use the Strade Bianche's most iconic sector in a Giro - like the TdF doesn't use Trouee d'Arenberg (although this is for a variety of different reasons, too). Instead, the longest sector we get is Radi a Colle Malamerenda, at 7.6km.

The line is in Siena, after a difficult final km, which replicates that of the march race. The uphill section is cat. 4 (although, according to the profile, the race finishes at its summit in reality, the KoM sprint will be earlier, because there is then a short descent)
Also...

Tappa Strade Bianche
Nothing really to say here .
The professional Strade Bianche had its first edition in 2007, and was won by Alexander Kolobnev. Before then, only the grandfondo was organised. This year, the granfondo celebrated its 20th edition, whilst the race was held for the 10th time. Cancellara is the most successful rider in Tuscany, winning three Strade Bianche, though he is being chased by Kwiatkowski, who took his second win this month. Before this season's edition, Monte Sainte Marie was renamed after "Spartacus", in honour of his successes.

Start: Perugia, Piazzale Europa (km 0 is on the SR220 in Sant'Andrea delle Fratte)
Finish: Siena, Piazza del Campo
Intermediate sprints: Montepulciano, Buonconvento
Feed zone: Torrenieri
Climbs:
Casanova (4th Category, 470 m, 2.6 Km at 6.8%, Km 116.2)
Bagnaia a Grotti Alto (3rd Category, 366 m, 3.2 Km at 4.7%, Km 133.4)
Siena (4th Category, 329 m, 1.2 Km at 6.6%)
Sterrato:
1. Buonconvento (5600 m, Km 105.4),
2. Bagnaia a Grotti Alto (4800 m, Km 133.4),
3. Radi a Colle Malamerenda (7600 m, Km 147.7),
4. Isola d'Arbia a Taverne d'Arbia (6100 m, Km 156.4),
5. Monteaperti (500 m, Km 162.7),
6. Colle Pinzuto (2300 m, Km 169.0).

[mikii4567]

Giro d'Italia
Stage 11: San Gimignano -> Abetone
204km
Mountain stage



The last mountain stage in the Appenines, and the fourth MTF of my Giro. Abetone is preceeded by two challenging climbs, therefore the bunch should be split and maybe we'll see some GC attacks early on (well, maybe not very early - a more important day follows tomorrow).

Start is in San Gimignano, some distance north-west of Siena. After a rolling first 20 km, the remainder for the first half of the stage is flat and includes both Traguardi Volante, in Pisa and Massa.

It's in Massa where we start to see some climbing. First up is the cat. 2 Passo del Vestito which, at 6.2% over 15.6km should rule out the less-talented climbers and consequently give us a more select group. This should be refined on the Passo di Pradaccio, which is cat. 1 - 14.9km at 8.4%. A GC favourite team may try to do a selection here and try and drop someone who is having a weaker day. The climb is more difficult towards the end - kms 11-14 exceed 11% in their average gradient.

The last climb is a drag up to Abetone, which averages 5.7% over 10.3km, making it a cat. 2.

Because of the importance of the next stage (you'll see what I mean soon ) I think this stage would go to a breakaway, but the difficulty of the Pradaccio and subsequent MTF may cause some splits in the GC group. Here, you won't win the race, but you could almost certainly lose it.

Tappa Gaul
It's Charly Gaul who's getting commemorated today. In 1959, the rider from Luxembourg was already a Giro winner (from 1956) and was seeking for a second win in Italy. He gained the pink jersey relatively early on, in stage 3, which ended in Abetone, and gained time over Anquetil. Although he then lost it to the Frenchman during stage 15, he regained it with a noteable attack on the Courmayeur stage, gaining 10 minutes and ending up on the final podium in Milan with a victory. On top of his Italian success, he also won the Tour in 1958 and was the bronze medalist in the Worlds in 1954.

Start: San Gimigiano, Viale Roma (km 0 is on the SP69)
Finish: Abetone, Via Brennero
Intermediate sprints: Pisa, Massa
Feed zone: Lido di Camaiore
Climbs:
Passo del Vestito (2nd Category, 1058 m, 15.6 Km at 6.2%, Km 134.7)

Passo di Pradaccio - San Pellegrino in Alpe (1st Category, 1621 m, 14.9 Km at 8.4%, Km 174.5)

Abetone (2nd Category, 1378 m, 10.3 Km at 5.7%, finish)

[Forever The Best]

Great Giro so far(especially stage 8,10 and 11) but I fear the riders may softpedal stage 8 in order to save energy for stage 9.
Also why not using the hills to Fermo that were used in this years T-A? It would make the stage even more awesome. (Only using the hill in right in the first picture and using all of the wall climb(800m at %14.3) in the second picture then going down from the city or before the city.)

[Gigs_98]

I always thought the Pradaccio-Abetone combination would be great for the last mountain stage of a giro. Maybe if the race finishes in Rome again this would be a possibility.
A stage to Abetone --> a sterrato stage on the next day (possibly Montalcino) --> at the end an easy flat stage to Rome. Before that you could put another medium mountain stage in Liguria. And if the race would come from the Alps you could even start the last week with another mountain stage. Something around Sestriere, or maybe something with the Fauniera. That would mean the last week would be:
mountain stage - flat - medium mountain - mountain - sterrato - flat.
One can dream I guess