Giro 2012: Route Rumours / Our wishes

[Eshnar]

No way.

Not only did that 09 Giro have a great, long ITT, but it had big mountain stages throughout the three weeks and not only in the last days. Including beauties like these ones:

2009 had only the ITT and the Petrano stage. All the rest was bad. The Pinerolo stage was raced well but on paper it wasn't good. The dolomites in the first week were just weak. The Blockhaus stage was a 70 kms joke and the final mountain stage had... ONE CLIMB.

 

[Magnus]

Anybody got a profile for the ascent of Mortirolo they're doing?

 

[cineteq]

Looks like 2012 could be a garbage year for GTs, Zomegnan was fired to make room for this junk?

You seem the only one thinking about it. GTs are for GC riders, General Classification, comprende? It's not just about ITTs, TTTs, MTFs, it's the overall parcours and the quality of riders that makes them interesting.

 

[Descender]

Great stage this one. Take out the last climb (finish in Lecco) and you got a much better Lombardia route.

 

[Descender]

2009 had only the ITT and the Petrano stage. All the rest was bad. The Pinerolo stage was raced well but on paper it wasn't good. The dolomites in the first week were just weak. The Blockhaus stage was a 70 kms joke and the final mountain stage had... ONE CLIMB.

It wasn't the best route, I doubt anybody disputes that. But it was much more balanced than the 2012 one.

The Pinerolo stage wasn't well designed?? Have you seen the kms? And no flat in the last 100kms. It was a great stage.

 

[The Hitch]

WTF. That looks awfully similar to 15 this year.

What an epic stage. Together with Giau and Stelvio these are 3 superGiro stages.

What a great last week it should be.

 

[Lanark]

Anybody got a profile for the ascent of Mortirolo they're doing?

Gazzetta site has all the stage profiles, and profiles of the important climbs:

http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2012/it/tappa.shtml?t=20&lang=it

 

[Netserk]

Anybody got a profile for the ascent of Mortirolo they're doing?

 

[RedheadDane]

I hope so much I won't have class or exam on the 7th! Because I already have some small plans of taking my bike to Odder and watch the race go through.
Sure I'd get to see more if I went to Horsens and watched the finish but having to pay for the train together with panicking in crowds made me think this is better.

 

[slim charles]

I see all over internet that Italians are not really happy with the route. They call it "Giro di Nord Italia" since there is no stage on the south

 

[The Hitch]

Anybody got a profile for thascent of Mortirolo they're doing?

They always do the same side.

 

[Eshnar]

It wasn't the best route, I doubt anybody disputes that. But it was much more balanced than the 2012 one.

The Pinerolo stage wasn't well designed?? Have you seen the kms? And no flat in the last 100kms. It was a great stage.

No flat? you probly should take a careful look at the Sestriere profile. It's an awful lot of descending false flat. No gc guy could have ever attacked on Sestriere.

 

[Descender]

They always do the same side.

Not this time they won't.

 

[Eshnar]

They always do the same side.

er.... They're doing a new side.

 

[Lanark]

You seem the only one thinking about it. GTs are for GC riders, General Classification, comprende? It's not just about ITTs, TTTs, MTFs, it's the overall parcours and the quality of riders that makes them interesting.

GT's are Grand Tours, Grand, comprende? That means it's three weeks. What's the point of a three week race if you stuff all the interesting parts in the last week?

This race seems to have some epic mountain stages, but it suffers from the Tour-decease, trying to make it exciting till the end, by making it boring in the beginning. What a shame.

 

[Descender]

No flat? you probly should take a careful look at the Sestriere profile. It's an awful lot of descending false flat. No gc guy could have ever attacked on Sestriere.

That's no flat though. I know about Sestriere, we got to see it this year again. It is a bad descent, but I dispute that attacks on Sestriere (or even before!) couldn't have been successful.

 

[Lanark]

No flat? you probly should take a careful look at the Sestriere profile. It's an awful lot of descending false flat. No gc guy could have ever attacked on Sestriere.

I'm pretty sure Garzelli attacked on that stage from far out, and he finished 6th in the GC. On the other hand, I doubt anyone considered him a threat at that point, he hadn't done a good GC in years.

 

[Eshnar]

That's no flat though. I know about Sestriere, we got to see it this year again. It is a bad descent, but I dispute that attacks on Sestriere (or even before!) couldn't have been successful.

Difference of opinion then.
imho it was crap. It's not like Sestriere is that difficult to destroy the peloton. Even with a harder descent, the peloton was likely to crawl back anyway.

 

[Eshnar]

I'm pretty sure Garzelli attacked on that stage from far out, and he finished 6th in the GC. On the other hand, I doubt anyone considered him a threat at that point, he hadn't done a good GC in years.

indeed.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

2009 had only the ITT and the Petrano stage. All the rest was bad. The Pinerolo stage was raced well but on paper it wasn't good. The dolomites in the first week were just weak. The Blockhaus stage was a 70 kms joke and the final mountain stage had... ONE CLIMB.

That 70kms "joke" was pretty brutal and didn't suit diesels like Sastre who SUFFERED like a dog.

It was a welcome addition, in my opinion.

 

[Eshnar]

That 70kms "joke" was pretty brutal and didn't suit diesels like Sastre who SUFFERED like a dog.

It was a welcome addition, in my opinion.

It was a joke. Put Blockhaus after 200 kms and you'll see a proper mountain stage. That wasn't.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

You seem the only one thinking about it. GTs are for GC riders, General Classification, comprende? It's not just about ITTs, TTTs, MTFs, it's the overall parcours and the quality of riders that makes them interesting.

And the overall parcours mostly sucks.

Unless we get some wind in Denmark, it's just a prologue and TTT. Stage 6 looks like it could be reasonable, but disappointed they're not using the Mur in Montelupone. The closing stages are too flat for any attack that goes there to be worth it in a stage race; in a one-day race it could be gold. Stage 7 will be like a less interesting version of this year's one. 8 could potentially be good, first time we'll see anything GC-oriented in a road stage. Doesn't look as good as the 2008 Pescocostanzo stage (that's the way to do a medium mountain stage!), but could be interesting, like a Tirreno-Adriatico type finish. 9 is flat, 10 is more or less flat, 11 is flat. No action here. Stage 12 is really good, however, possibly the second time we see the GC men put their noses in the wind. 13 is yet another inevitable sprint (after stages 2,3,5, possibly 6, 9, 10 and 11). Andrea Guardini will be smiling at least.

Then we have Cervinia (not an especially tough stage) followed by the third really well-designed stage of the race, to Pian dei Resinelli. Into week 3 we have a Dolomite flat stage (????!!!!!), not even Terento to break things up, though if we're lucky the run in to Pfalzen will be tough enough to allow a Tropea like surprise, but more than likely the breakaway gets this and the rest of the péloton comes in as a bunch 15 minutes later. Then we have the best stage of the race, the Cortina d'Ampezzo stage, before... guess what? A flat stage! That makes potentially NINE. Then we have the superbly designed Pampeago stage, before the Subida a Stelvio, which will hopefully not disappoint, though I fear that unless the race has been brutally paced to that point the Mortirolo will be a non-factor.

So, a route that's reminiscent of a weak version of 2008... we're going to need a lot of CERA to make this as good a race as that.

 

[Eshnar]

And the overall parcours mostly sucks.

Unless we get some wind in Denmark, it's just a prologue and TTT. Stage 6 looks like it could be reasonable, but disappointed they're not using the Mur in Montelupone. The closing stages are too flat for any attack that goes there to be worth it in a stage race; in a one-day race it could be gold. Stage 7 will be like a less interesting version of this year's one. 8 could potentially be good, first time we'll see anything GC-oriented in a road stage. Doesn't look as good as the 2008 Pescocostanzo stage (that's the way to do a medium mountain stage!), but could be interesting, like a Tirreno-Adriatico type finish. 9 is flat, 10 is more or less flat, 11 is flat. No action here. Stage 12 is really good, however, possibly the second time we see the GC men put their noses in the wind. 13 is yet another inevitable sprint (after stages 2,3,5, possibly 6, 9, 10 and 11). Andrea Guardini will be smiling at least.

Then we have Cervinia (not an especially tough stage) followed by the third really well-designed stage of the race, to Pian dei Resinelli. Into week 3 we have a Dolomite flat stage (????!!!!!), not even Terento to break things up, though if we're lucky the run in to Pfalzen will be tough enough to allow a Tropea like surprise, but more than likely the breakaway gets this and the rest of the péloton comes in as a bunch 15 minutes later. Then we have the best stage of the race, the Cortina d'Ampezzo stage, before... guess what? A flat stage! That makes potentially NINE. Then we have the superbly designed Pampeago stage, before the Subida a Stelvio, which will hopefully not disappoint, though I fear that unless the race has been brutally paced to that point the Mortirolo will be a non-factor.

So, a route that's reminiscent of a weak version of 2008... we're going to need a lot of CERA to make this as good a race as that.

The stage to Assisi ends uphill, I don'know exactly the slope but it shouldn't be a bunch sprint. Same for stage 16 (though I'm disappointed about Terento)

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The stage to Assisi ends uphill, I don'know exactly the slope but it shouldn't be a bunch sprint. Same for stage 16 (though I'm disappointed about Terento)

Using the numbers, the Assisi climb is 7,6km, and climbs 298m, for an average of 3,65%. It won't be a bunch sprint that Guardini or Cavendish takes part in, but it's not going to offer much for the likes of Gilbert unless it's really, really inconsistent, which it doesn't look.

 

[will10]

I think that's a good summary Libertine.