2012 Giro d’italia May 13 Stage 8: Sulmona- Lago Laceno
2012 Giro d’italia , May 13 Stage 8: Sulmona- Lago Laceno:
Distance 229 km.
(I know it is a bit early but I feel this stage is going to be quite decisive and will allow the GC riders their first chance at inflicting some damage)
This is the furthest south the Giro will reach this time around. The finishing climb is Lake Laceno which is 9km and deceptively tough.
Tomorow's climb at Abruzzo will not be damaging when it comes to time gaps, even if we may see GC contenders like Rodriguez going for the win.
Yet Sunday is an entirely different story, when you take into consideration the rolling roads which take up most of the stage is certain to be pretty gruelling and it will be a case of the riders who are in the best form, to decide the stage winner.
Yet most interesting is the last time the Giro visited here, on that day Alex Zulle defeated Marco Pantani in a tantalilsing battle where aftet pink jersey Bartoli attacked Pantani went and then Zulle reeled him in, and succeeded in securing the Pink jersey if we see anything of the sort on this stage it will certainly be a treat.
Here are some highlights of that stage and others:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AEA66M1h7Os#!
Indeed the most important thing about this stage is the phsychological advantage which the GC contenders who succed here, can put into their fellow contenders. Particularly Rodriguez will be looking to inflict some damage but the climb is hard enough for even the likes of Basso and Scarponi to do something.
The final climb, the second category Colle Molella is split up into two halves. The first half consists of gentle slopes yet close to the top the gradient reaches around 12%, there is then a flat finish of 4km to the finish in Laceno.
Here some experts on this stage.
Przemyslaw Niemec “It’s hard and it’ll be nervous. It’s very long with an uphill start and a big finish. Most importantly, though, the GC still won’t be sorted out and there’s a lot which can go wrong on a day like this, you can’t win the Giro here but you can lose it.”
Bergonzi : “As ever when the Giro starts abroad, it’s Southern Italy which pays. The climb will make some holes in the GC, and it’ll be about power more than anything else. Last time the Giro came here was in 1998, Pantani’s Giro. Alex Zülle won that day, and I expect a similar rider to do well here.”
Favorites:
Scarponi, Cunego, Gadret, Rujano, Kreuziger, Pozzovivo, Hesjedal, Rodriguez, Basso, Szymd, Visconti, Cataldo, Schleck, Henao, Uran, Gasparotto.
After today's stage I would fancy Scarponi for this stage, yet it matters at what tempo the final climb is raced at, if it is not raced to fast then the last 4km of flat may favour riders like Visconti though.
2012 Giro d’italia , May 13 Stage 8: Sulmona- Lago Laceno:
Distance 229 km.
(I know it is a bit early but I feel this stage is going to be quite decisive and will allow the GC riders their first chance at inflicting some damage)
This is the furthest south the Giro will reach this time around. The finishing climb is Lake Laceno which is 9km and deceptively tough.
Tomorow's climb at Abruzzo will not be damaging when it comes to time gaps, even if we may see GC contenders like Rodriguez going for the win.
Yet Sunday is an entirely different story, when you take into consideration the rolling roads which take up most of the stage is certain to be pretty gruelling and it will be a case of the riders who are in the best form, to decide the stage winner.
Yet most interesting is the last time the Giro visited here, on that day Alex Zulle defeated Marco Pantani in a tantalilsing battle where aftet pink jersey Bartoli attacked Pantani went and then Zulle reeled him in, and succeeded in securing the Pink jersey if we see anything of the sort on this stage it will certainly be a treat.
Here are some highlights of that stage and others:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AEA66M1h7Os#!
Indeed the most important thing about this stage is the phsychological advantage which the GC contenders who succed here, can put into their fellow contenders. Particularly Rodriguez will be looking to inflict some damage but the climb is hard enough for even the likes of Basso and Scarponi to do something.
The final climb, the second category Colle Molella is split up into two halves. The first half consists of gentle slopes yet close to the top the gradient reaches around 12%, there is then a flat finish of 4km to the finish in Laceno.
Here some experts on this stage.
Przemyslaw Niemec “It’s hard and it’ll be nervous. It’s very long with an uphill start and a big finish. Most importantly, though, the GC still won’t be sorted out and there’s a lot which can go wrong on a day like this, you can’t win the Giro here but you can lose it.”
Bergonzi : “As ever when the Giro starts abroad, it’s Southern Italy which pays. The climb will make some holes in the GC, and it’ll be about power more than anything else. Last time the Giro came here was in 1998, Pantani’s Giro. Alex Zülle won that day, and I expect a similar rider to do well here.”
Favorites:
Scarponi, Cunego, Gadret, Rujano, Kreuziger, Pozzovivo, Hesjedal, Rodriguez, Basso, Szymd, Visconti, Cataldo, Schleck, Henao, Uran, Gasparotto.
After today's stage I would fancy Scarponi for this stage, yet it matters at what tempo the final climb is raced at, if it is not raced to fast then the last 4km of flat may favour riders like Visconti though.
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