For me it's probably close to 8 out of 10. Not perfect, but enough good stuff to give us an interesting race.Some good
Some bad
Some ugly
6.5/7 out of 10 I guess?
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For me it's probably close to 8 out of 10. Not perfect, but enough good stuff to give us an interesting race.Some good
Some bad
Some ugly
6.5/7 out of 10 I guess?
For me it's close to an 8 out of 10, not perfect, but enough good stuff to give us an interesting race.Some good
Some bad
Some ugly
6.5/7 out of 10 I guess?
It's gonna be interesting, sure. But I also think the backload is once again very real, and many of the good looking intermediate stages are kind of all or nothing, and the craziness of the last week makes me think they'll largely amount to nothing.For me it's close to an 8 out of 10, not perfect, but enough good stuff to give us an interesting race.
it's possible, but not super likely.Are there chances of echelons on Stage 8 when they ride along the coast or is it too far from the finish?
So you don't think neither the Stelvio/Torri di Fraele or the Sestriere stage may be worth watching?Very bad. 3 or 4/10. Backloaded
TT is OK but I don't watch the GT's only to see the time trials.
I guess I was upset that it was backloaded. It is bewteen 7 to 8.Very bad. 3 or 4/10. Backloaded
TT is OK but I don't watch the GT's only to see the time trials.
They are very nice!!So you don't think neither the Stelvio/Torri di Fraele or the Sestriere stage may be worth watching?
The final climb on stage 13 has ramps up to 20% according to the official stage description, it's a proper murito.Right.
Stage 1. Very nice prologue. Really like it a bit more rolling, and I prefer this more than the gimmick of this year.
Stage 2-3. Just say no to flat stage 2 and 3 kids.
Stage 4. It's nothing special, but it's okay. I would want something harder if the first mountain stage was stage 8 or something, but with Etna the next day, it's okay. It's also the only real uphill sprint, and there's murito's later in the race. Stage being otherwise so easy and flat is a bit meeh though.
Stage 5. Etna is decent. Don't love how often it's being used, but using different roads every time makes it less annoying.
The profile makes me think it's definitely all about the last 3km. Bad you won't get more action. Good you don't get a completely wind neutralised race like in 2017. Getting Tourmalet 2019 vibes a little bit, although Etna is little easier overall and very early in the race.
Stage 6. I agree with Gigs. Portella Madrazzi isn't very hard. It reminds me of the 2nd stage of the 2017 Giro on Sardinia, where a similar climb closer to the finish could not prevent a bunch sprint. Perhaps Bora will drill it for Sagan, but I expect a lot of teams to bring decent sprinter help for this route
Stage 7. I really like this one. This is the kind of stage that really needs to be long, and with the next day being flat I don't see this one being completely wasted. Still it's a fairly flat climb so I don't expect major gaps
Stage 8. Worthless flat stage. Could maybe hope for wind?
Stage 9. The middle of the stage looks cool but sorry I still think bunch sprint. Maybe some wind could make this really tricky?
Stage 10. One of my favorite stages this Giro. Absolutely love it.
Stage 11. This is reeaaally getting too much at this point, and I'd expect this to be bunch sprint #6.
Stage 12. Could be madness, could be nothing, with pretty little inbetween. A stage like this is never bad, but I think the final 50km are too easy for it to be really good. I think I would love this as a final mountain stage. If anything I hope for 2nd rate GC rider breakaways.
Stage 13. Hills are too close to the finish for a huge bunch sprint, but surely too far to make it really interesting. Sagan City. Probably the 7th more or less (reduced) bunch sprint.
Stage 14. Cheeky murito near the start. Looks like 1.2km at 12%. No joke (the real joke of the route comes later). Overall, it's really a bit too short for my liking, and the fact that it's now happening in every single GT it makes it ever so much more annoying.
Stage 15. Very good climb. Not too much before it. Not too little. Just solid overall.
Stage 16. Now this one having a flat final 10km is really disappointing to me cause it pretty much make sure GC action is very unlikely. We had a much better climb the day before the Muchachos with like 2km of flat to the finish and that didn't get action either.
Stage 17. Unlike @Gigs_98 I really know what to think here. Lower tier GC breakaway city. Could be kinda lame with a few of them simply being allowed to take major time or it could cause havoc. A LOT depends on the different team strenghts here. If it is together on the final climb, I still expect some fireworks, considering easier climbs can create chaos if the day is hard enough.
Stage 18. Nothing but love. I'll be making naked sun dances the week before to make sure Stelvio won't get canceled like the Gavia.
Stage 19. We all hate the 3rd week flat stage trend. But it being 251 is the best goddamn joke I've heard this week.
Stage 20. Love it. Reminds me of the 2011 Schleck raid more than Kruijswijk snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in 2016. I even think attacking on the Agnello is possible, but route balance ensures that won't be necessary. Interestingly enough, I think attacks can be made on all of the 4 climbs. Probably my favorite stage in the Giro, though I would've preferred if it weren't the last one I think.
Stage 21. I just don't get the point of this. It reminds me of the 2014 Vuelta epilogue which everyone considered pointless. Final stage ITT shouldn't scare anyone no matter the length cause if it were longer the climbers needed to attack more anyway.
Overall, I think the route has a lot of bad basics but very nice details. I think the route is very climber friendly, and like the Tour, you only need to be great in like 3 stages. They might deal with 20s here and there in the first 12 days, but minutes will only be dealt in the last week. I really dislike that. A lot of the stages with potential in the first two weeks could be hampered by that. For this reason I think the route would've been a lot better if the middle ITT was closer to 50km and the final was closer to 25km.
Oh yeah I read that first then I forgot that later when I wrote the post. Bit strange they don't give profiles of some of the murito'sThe final climb on stage 13 has ramps up to 20% according to the official stage description, it's a proper murito.
They'll probably publish all the details only in the roadbook.Oh yeah I read that first then I forgot that later when I wrote the post. Bit strange they don't give profiles of some of the murito's
https://www.giroditalia.it/it/percorso-2020/
All profiles are up, including climb profiles, maps, 3D profiles.
See, ASO? That's how it's *** done
Yes actually.The absence of GC -relevant downhill finish is a shortcoming of the route, imo.
Hopefully, some of the medium mountain stages will make up that imperfection.
The less backloaded route would require a significant cutoff in the Dolomites and Alps. That would change the identity of the race.
And, in the current GC field, more tt kilometers would mean less pure climbers in the race.
So, backloading keeps the field open, besides being the trademark.
The medium mountains are the area where RCS can experiment more. High mountains and time trials are well balanced (considering the current field), as the trend's showing.
You know what they say.Is there really not going to be a rest day between stage 3 and 4 where they have to travel from Hungary to Sicily?
NopeIs there really not going to be a rest day between stage 3 and 4 where they have to travel from Hungary to Sicily?
Good luck driving the buses and trucks all that way in 15 hours.