2021 Giro Route Rumours

[Gigs_98]

Really think Italy has enough hard climbs south of the Alps. Don't even want to start naming them since I inevitably wouldn't be able to come up with all, but let's just say, the lack of climbs is not the peoblem. Just because you don't have a Zoncolan in the south doesn't mean the climbs aren't good enough

 

[Mayomaniac]

Really think Italy has enough hard climbs south of the Alps. Don't even want to start naming them since I inevitably wouldn't be able to come up with all, but let's just say, the lack of climbs is not the peoblem. Just because you don't have a Zoncolan in the south doesn't mean the climbs aren't good enough

Rifugio Calvanico actually has the nickname "Zoncolan of the South", but as far as I know the road ends in the middle of nowhere.
https://www.la-flamme-rouge.eu/maps...lBDjZNc6xc7A41a_n9e9yWgIFTC_UwHe0imxscJ51rbEs
One could actually make a monster stage with 4 diferent Etna ascents in one stage (the finish would be there where Chaves won in 2018).
Going further up to the ski sation above Rifugio Sapienza also gives you a Col de la Loze level climb.
https://www.cronoescalada.com/index.php/puertos/view/14048
The Aspromone area in Calabria also has tons of climbs and potential.
The problem in Southern Italy is towns not paying for the stages and RCS have to take them to court has happened multiple times. Sicily and Calabria seem to be the regions that RCS trusts the most (they often stick to the same towns because they know that the local comittees are legit), but 1,5 years after the last Montevergine stage they still hadn't seen any money...

 

[Red Rick]

Really think Italy has enough hard climbs south of the Alps. Don't even want to start naming them since I inevitably wouldn't be able to come up with all, but let's just say, the lack of climbs is not the peoblem. Just because you don't have a Zoncolan in the south doesn't mean the climbs aren't good enough

Pretty much yeah. There's not really the absolute monsters, but you shouldn't really need to. It also depends on what site you look on for climbs, and my guess is the more to the south you go the less Italy is explored potentially decent climbs on smaller roads.

In any case, Blockhaus can be a monster, though it sadly isn't a pass if climbed in full. But there's definitely a plethora of good climbs for simpler, non queen stage mountain stages. That's also why I prefer to do most of the regular MTF stages in the first 12 stages. Also, it seems there's muri everywhere if you care to look for them, although those stages really seem to underdeliver compared to Tirreno.

Overall, this last Giro probably had like 3 at first glance interesting stages which suffered each from different problems.

 

[sensations]

Just revisit Monte Petrano and the surrounding climbs already. Even if they'd end up slashing the first 70km from it because 2020.

 

[Red Rick]

Just revisit Monte Petrano and the surrounding climbs already. Even if they'd end up slashing the first 70km from it because 2020.

Nerone + Catria + nearby downhill finish sounds good to me.

 

[OlavEH]

The possibiliets south of the Alps in Italy are IMO pretty good. You could chose from the likes of:

Etna, both single and double ascent. MTF and descent finish.
Vesuv
Terminillo, both MTF and descent finish.
San Pellegrino in Alpe - Abetone combo
Monte Faito
Campitello Matese
Passo Lanciano/Blockhaus. Both double ascent, MTF and descent finish are possbile
Petrano - Catria - Nerno combo in Marche
Monte Beigua

 

[chartwatch]

The possibiliets south of the Alps in Italy are IMO pretty good. You could chose from the likes of:

Etna, both single and double ascent. MTF and descent finish.
'.....

And besides these "established" Giro climbs (including Mt Sirino) it would be nice to introduce new Southern climbs like:

Rifugio Calvanico
Monte Sacro
Monte Vulture
Monte Stella
Monte Botte Donato (Giro 21?)
Montalto
Monte Mancuso

 

[Gigs_98]

Just revisit Monte Petrano and the surrounding climbs already. Even if they'd end up slashing the first 70km from it because 2020.

Yeah, I also feel like this is still the gold standard of multi mountain stages in the giro outside the Alps. Not that you couldn't possibly make even better ones but in recent history at least this was by far the best.

 

[mms]

When is the presentation of the parcours?

 

[Mayomaniac]

When is the presentation of the parcours?

Mid January and virtual. They can't do recons atm because of regional lockdowns/travel restrictions when it comes to those regions.

 

[Earns1985]

Mid January and virtual. They can't do recons atm because of regional lockdowns/travel restrictions when it comes to those regions.

Very late compared to other years. But also understandable given the cicumstances.
Normally all the riders communicate their targets for the next season after the tour and the giro parcours are at least published.
That could mean that the riders will wait with that until January this time? Normally they start to do that in mid november..

 

[Mayomaniac]

Very late compared to other years. But also understandable given the cicumstances.
Normally all the riders communicate their targets for the next season after the tour and the giro parcours are at least published.
That could mean that the riders will wait with that until January this time? Normally they start to do that in mid november..

I guess RCS could give the teams (besides Jumbo of course) some intel on the amount of kms of ITT in the race, if the teams keep their mouths shut and don't inform the media about it.

 

[Red Rick]

I guess RCS could give the teams (besides Jumbo of course) some intel on the amount of kms of ITT in the race, if the teams keep their mouths shut and don't inform the media about it.

Tbh the Tour route is so dire there should be 0 question which route is gonna be better for a TTer or pure climber.

 

[yaco]

Tbh the Tour route is so dire there should be 0 question which route is gonna be better for a TTer or pure climber.

Don't put your house on it ! The Giro route should be be better if they spread the stages better and dont waste a stage by having 3 ITT's which could have been two ITT's - I suspect the Giro will continue with the theme of a a fairly flat first 12 stages to attract top quality sprinters - I hope to be surprised.

 

[Matt92]

According to rumors, the Tuscan stage (or "one of the Tuscan stages) could include some strade bianche. The stage would go from the surroundings of Florence to the Chianti region.

The only thing that makes me a little skeptical about this rumor is that the stage would go from the North to the South, while the design of the first week should be from the South to the North.

 

[Kyllingen86]

I would like a relatively hard mountain stage om stage 8 followed by a Tuscan-stage with gravel roads from Strade Bianche.

Are there any hope for Fedaia?

 

[OlavEH]

Like the rumours about a sterrato stage. That is long overdue!

The rest of the rumours so far doesn't get me excited. Never been a very big fan of Zoncolan. The alternative destination Montasio is also IMO pretty average. A stage finish in Cortina could be great, but that is really dependent on using Giau (and Staulanza and Duran/Cibiana) before a descent finish.

The rumours for the last week also seem fairly medicore. Of course the rumoured Fauniera stage to Cuneo could be great. But the rumoured finish to Montespluga seems pretty meh, and a Pila finish could be anything. It could be used at the end of a very hard stage like using Zuccore, Saint-Pantaleon and Saint-Barthelemy (and possibly Verrogne), but nothing connects very well to Pila.

I miss some rumours on a well-designed stage save from perhaps the Fauniera-Cuneo stage. Like Sappada a couple of years ago.

 

[gregrowlerson]

I would like a relatively hard mountain stage om stage 8 followed by a Tuscan-stage with gravel roads from Strade Bianche.

Are there any hope for Fedaia?

? Never heard of it.

I only know of FEDAIAAAA!!!!.

 

[Eshnar]

Apparently today Beppe Conti announced that the Giro will start in Torino, with Verbania as second stage. He also mentioned that the Cuneo stage is postponed to 2022 due to the start location. He mentioned a ton of other stages taken from a mashup of old and new rumours so tbh it's hard to take it too seriously... but I have to say he IS usually spot on when it comes to his region, Piedmont.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Apparently today Beppe Conti announced that the Giro will start in Torino, with Verbania as second stage. He also mentioned that the Cuneo stage is postponed to 2022 due to the start location. He mentioned a ton of other stages taken from a mashup of old and new rumours so tbh it's hard to take it too seriously... but I have to say he IS usually spot on when it comes to his region, Piedmont.

Classic Beppe Conti fake news, most of the time his "revelations" are total bs. His transfer rumours are usually even worse. Of course he'll always claim afterwards that it was in the cards atm.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Apparently today Beppe Conti announced that the Giro will start in Torino, with Verbania as second stage. He also mentioned that the Cuneo stage is postponed to 2022 due to the start location. He mentioned a ton of other stages taken from a mashup of old and new rumours so tbh it's hard to take it too seriously... but I have to say he IS usually spot on when it comes to his region, Piedmont.

Fauniera in the U23 Giro instead, he said.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Also, the whole Monte Lussari rumour might as well die right now, every year it's gonna be used the Giro after the next one.
There's just not enough space up there, not even for a MTT.
I mean, they didn't use Sorgenti del Piave in 2018 after doing a recon and the parking lot up there isn't that small, so there's zero (cero, cero, cero...) chance that they'll use Monte Lussari.
Hell, even using Passo della Forcella/la Stentaria and having an easier uphill finish in Sauris di Sopra right after it is a lot more realistic. They'd just have to pave half of the (pretty tame and not dangerous) decent and it would be fine.
if you want to go full Cainero you could actually pull that one off and have something like this (for example): https://www.cronoescalada.com/index.php/tracks/viewTour/615544/356423

 

[Matt92]

According to a local paper, one of the Friuli stages should go from Grado to Gorizia (I assume it is the one that was supposed to end in Cormons, which is quite close to Gorizia). A finish at the Tre Cime di Lavaredo is also rumored. That would most likely rule out Cortina, but since the Tre Cime are quite close to Cortina, it does not change anything in terms of what we know about the structure of the Giro (which is to say, not much at this point).

The final stage is still between Verona and Milan (which in all probability does not mean that Vegni is still deciding between the two, only that there are conflicting rumors).

 

[Mayomaniac]

According to a local paper, one of the Friuli stages should go from Grado to Gorizia (I assume it is the one that was supposed to end in Cormons, which is quite close to Gorizia).

Grado to Gorizia is less than 50 km, so probably a long loop around the medium mountains/hills around the Italian-Slovenian Border.

 

[Matt92]

Grado to Gorizia is less than 50 km, so probably a long loop around the medium mountains/hills around the Italian-Slovenian Border.

Yes, the rumored Cormons stage was supposed to be hilly, I guess the finish in Gorizia does not change much.