Giro d'Italia 2021 Giro d'Italia, Stage 4: Piacenza - Sestola 186 km

[Bonimenier]

Now the fun can really start

Stage 4: Piacenza – Sestola 186 km

Tuesday, May 11th, 12.05 CEST

Technical Overview:

A very demanding medium mountain stage with likely GC implications. Starting from Piacenza, the riders will head south-east, initially following the Via Emilia until Parma and then heading into the Appennines. After a total of 77 km of flat at the start, the terrain becomes rougher, with a gentle ascent to the intermediate sprint of Canossa, which gives way to a series of small climbs and descents culminating with the first categorized climb of the day, Castello di Carpineti (GPM3, 3.5 km at 8.6%). This is a very steep wall, and will definitely wear some legs down, but it is too far from the finish and too isolated to see any action. Its pretty complicated descent will bring the peloton to 26 km of ascending false flat, followed by the second climb of the day, Montemolino (GPM3, 8.6 km at 5.7%), that features another very steep wall (1.95 km at 11.6%) that this time is closer to the finish, topping at 44 km to go. At the top there is a plateau of 13 km and then a descent of 7 km. At 24 km to go another climb starts, uncategorized: Montecreto (3.7 km at 7.8%), which tops at 20 km to go. At the top there is another plateau of 7 km and a descent of 6 km that ends at the second intermediate sprint of Fanano. There, the riders will face the final climb of the day, which is also the hardest one. Colle Passerino (GPM2, 4.3 km at 9.9%) a very hard climb that might see the first skirmishes for the GC. The top is at 2.5 km to the finish line in Sestola, all on rough terrain.



Final Kilometers

The Climbs:

Castello di Carpineti: GPM3, 3.5 km at 8.6%

A steep wall some double digit gradients. No official profile. Here is Cyclingcols (the first km differs)

Montemolino: GPM3, 8.6 km at 5.7%

First 5 km of very gentle descent, then a short false flat and finally a 2 km wall at 11.6%.

Colle Passerino: GPM2, 4.3 km at 9.9%

The first serious ascent of this Giro, short but really steep, especially in the middle. The road can actually bring even higher, eventually reaching the Passo del Lupo, climbed in 2014 (but not using this road).

What to expect:

The final climb is definitely enough for GC guys to attack each other. Gaps should not be large but the stage has very good potential. With the GC still wide open breakaways might also be a problem to keep in check.

Castello di Carpineti

 

[Panda Claws]

Ganna to hold on to pink.
Edit: Okay nevermind that final climb is more difficult than I first thought. Would be a very strong performance if he can manage it.

 

[Red Rick]

How technical is the run in to the final climb?

 

[Gigs_98]

Hopefully the stage that will give us answers to some of the biggest questions we are currently having. Although stages 6 and 9 are probably looking more frightening on paper I think that this will be the most important stage of the first week and I can see pretty big time gaps between gc guys happening. This might be were they are able to kill off Evenepoel (and to a lesser extent Nibali) before they can develop into actual threats for the third week. Then again Evenepoel might turn out to be back to his best already and win this by 2 minutes after an attack on the penultimate climb.

 

[johnymax]

Wait, what day is it today? Did I skip a day or is stage 3 cancelled...I'm confused

 

[Screecher]

Wait, what day is it today? Did I skip a day or is stage 3 cancelled...I'm confused

Stage 3 thread is up as well.

 

[RedheadDane]

Stage 3 thread is up as well.

In fact already up with the stickied.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Hard to look past Evenepoel here. Yates is probably his largest rival.

 

[Netserk]

Let it rain!

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[Salvarani]

I would say Yates and Landa will do well here.

Perhaps Martin too.

Vlasov on form maybe.

The others might lose a couple seconds.

Evenepoel is an unknown, but that will be a continued theme throughout this race as we already know.

 

[Rollthedice]

Hard to look past Evenepoel here. Yates is probably his largest rival.

How come? There are some elite climbers in this race.

 

[titan31]

I'm expecting Yates if there are attacks or Almeida if they all look at each other.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

How come? There are some elite climbers in this race.

There are, and I expect Evenepoel to be one of the best of those, and I think that the stage suits him well.

 

[topcat]

Wait, what day is it today? Did I skip a day or is stage 3 cancelled...I'm confused

Stages 2 and 3 are bypassed (except by the clinically dead forum members). Onto Stage 4 a day early and really build it up cause a gc man might lose all of 10 seconds here. Can't wait, myself.

 

[Escarabajo]

Might as well the Stage 16 thread!!!!
It will probably be more fun since we don't know who will be there racing!!

 

[Big Doopie]

Hard to look past Evenepoel here. Yates is probably his largest rival.

Hmm, i think yates here.

i think we find out more about remco. if he stays with top dogs, it would be a good step, assuming he has more room for improving the further the race goes...

 

[Cannavaro]

How technical is the run in to the final climb?

There is a very technical part from 4 km to 2 km before the climb with 6 hairpins and 4 90° corners. Then it gets easier. But there is a last not to tight hairpin 600m before the climb: hairpin. After that it is relatively straight into a tight 90° right-hand corner into the climb (which is not that steep in the beginning): corner into the climb. The sprint is 200 meter after the corner.

 

[SafeBet]

I believe this stage has potential to be very good, especially if it rains. But I'm not sure any team is confident enough to make it hard from far. It looks good for Pello Bilbao.

 

[BigCoward]

Stages 2 and 3 are bypassed (except by the clinically dead forum members). Onto Stage 4 a day early and really build it up cause a gc man might lose all of 10 seconds here. Can't wait, myself.

Some GC contenders would lose more than 10-15 seconds on a climb 1/3 this long and that steep. Especially early on.

 

[Escarabajo]

I feel like from now on, in this forum, Evenepoel will win every stage.

 

[spalco]

I feel like from now on, in this forum, Evenepoel will win every stage.

At least he's actually participating this time.

 

[sir fly]

The profile promises more than that to Canale.
Similar make-up plot-wise.

 

[SafeBet]

Weather could be very bad tomorrow.
I think a few GC guys will lose time, possibly a lot of time.

Martinelly just said to RAI he thinks it will be very tough.

 

[Escarabajo]

No sprinters this time. It will be a small group contesting at the finish line.

 

[Eclipse]

Such a juicy stage this one