Giro 2012: Route Rumours / Our wishes

[Magnus]

They always do the same side.

Well, usually Mortirolo is quoted to be 1852 m. The profile says 1718 m.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Well, usually Mortirolo is quoted to be 1852 m. The profile says 1718 m.

Yea, they're not going all the way up to the pass, because if they do, they'd have to descent towards Edolo and couldn't follow it with the Stelvio. They're doing 11,5km @ 10,5% instead of the usual 12,4km @ 10,5%, starting from a different places and then descending to Mazzo where they usually start.

 

[The Hitch]

Not this time they won't.

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

Yeah, i thought they would maybe do a new side if they want to incorporate the stelvio, but Wikipedia said there were only 2 other sides of Mortirlo and both way longer, so I assumed this 12km climb was the same side.

 

[Eshnar]

I just made the poll for the route. Let's continue the discussion there.

 

[cineteq]

And the overall parcours mostly sucks

So a little guy watching from the fence saying a parcours sucks just because he would've liked all stages to be MTFs.

 

[Eshnar]

Yeah, i thought they would maybe do a new side if they want to incorporate the stelvio, but Wikipedia said there were only 2 other sides of Mortirlo and both way longer, so I assumed this 12km climb was the same side.

Each side has different roads, which connects before reaching the top.

 

[Magnus]

Yea, they're not going all the way up to the pass, because if they do, they'd have to descent towards Edolo and couldn't follow it with the Stelvio. They're doing 11,5km @ 10,5% instead of the usual 12,4km @ 10,5%, starting from a different places and then descending to Mazzo where they usually start.

It looks like they're coming from the south going north. That suggests starting in Mazzo and descending to Grosio. But then the highest point would be approx 1550 m

Edit: just looked at the details of the stage. Apparently they start the climb in Tovo di Sant'Agata. I guess I was confused by Google Maps not having any roads from Tovo towards the Mortirolo pass.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

So a little guy watching from the fence saying a parcours sucks just because he would've liked all stages to be MTFs.

No, this year was MTF overkill.

I'd like more stages where a difference can be made, and fewer "making the numbers up" stages. And if they're not going to include high mountains, then at least ENOUGH medium mountains to make a difference. Stage 12 for example has no high mountains and no MTF, but that's exactly the kind of stage I want to see more of.

If it's going to be a year of the medium mountains, we should at least have medium mountain stages that ARE medium mountain stages, not utter pan-flat bores with a 3% drag at the end being called medium mountain stages.

What it's like is them realising they had too much in the way of mountains this year. So instead of increasing TT mileage or some differently structured mountain stages (OK, they have given us the excellent Cortina d'Ampezzo stage), they just cut back on the mountains but don't replace them with anything else, just dead air.

 

[The Hitch]

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.

Cav finished 30 seconds behind Andy Schleck on this stage in this years Tour.

 

[roundabout]

To be honest not a lot usually happens in the medium mountains the freak stage in 2010 aside.

 

[The fridge in the blue trees]

The Giro has exactly 2 weaknesses

1) Start in Denmark, at the expense of the south
2) Rocca di Cambio

Too many mountains in 2011? Replaced it with dead air? Actually some of the mountains in 11 were dead air.

Mercogliano, Macugnaga.

Etna was good, perfect almost there.
Grossglockner ok, but being the only serious climb, Iselsberg too far away made the stage ok, nothing more.
Zoncolan after the castration of the stage was not as brilliant as with the Crostis, but still good
Gardeccia was great.
Finestre theoretically good, practically.. boring. Giro was decided, everybody tired, Plus there instead of an endless flat approach using the Moncenisio climb from 09 before the Finestre would have been perfect.

This year? Back to the second weakness:
Rocca di Cambio will prove to be even more boring than Mercogliano. 50 guys together for a sprint or something.
There a harder tougher climb would have been necessary. With this and Lago di Laceno the next day, still 50 riders will be more or less in contention for rosa. Which will castrate stages like stage 12 completely, no contender will have lost time, no contender will try anything, even the escape will be "weaker", since half of the peloton will not be let go, could take rosa after all. Doesn't have to be a real mountain stage like Etna last year, (although would be nice) but more than Rocca di Cambio.

Basically they cut 2 "dead air" climbs replaced it with 1 "dead air climb" + Lago di Laceno, which is more exciting than both Macugnaga and Mercogliano. Just won't have the big differences, too short, and the 5 flat km following will make for small time gaps, bad for the coming stages, nothing happens in GC but the stage itself should be exciting.

Then we have 5 mountain stages left, and all 5 are very good to great

Col de Joux, down Cervinia. Neither a tough climb, but the combination makes it a very good stage at this point in the race.
Pian dei Resinelli: Valcalva is tough, then 3 more hills, but none tough, but again, barely a flat meter before the last climb, which is tough enough. Again, good stage.
16 without Terento, is ok, give them a break.
17, perfect. what more do you want of a mountain stage? Duran, Forcella Staulanza, Giau, perfect combination, then downhill finish to Cortina. 70 km without a flat meter
18 the last sprint, which guarantees that 17 will be raced toughly, followed directly by another hard stage one of the 2 might have suffered, this way not, good
19: See 17, perfect. Manghen, Pampeago, Lavaze, pampeago, ok, there a tiny little flat bit twice in the last 90 km... that makes it medium mountain??
20: Stelvio.. of course Mortirolo-Gavia-Stelvio would have been better. Even then the Mortirolo simply to far from the goal, but... still, it's the Stelvio, not easy from the Bormio side either. The only stage though were there is a longer flattish part before the final climb. So in the end it's ok (plus see the Tour this year, Galibier, not that different finally, and there something happened)

5 out of 5 real mountain stages are multi climb stages. Excellent
4 out of 5 real mountain stages don't have a long flat part before the last climb. Excellent. Yes, 14 probably is fairly easily controllable before the final climb, 15 too, but both still offer the opportunity to try from far. 17+19 not only offer the opportunity, they almost demand it, especially if the support riders prove to be as weak as they were in 2010 (all GTs)

Stage 14-21 is simply the best any GT has had for years. 1-13, yep, not enough happening, just a tougher climb though would have made the whole Giro the best in years. Like this it isn't. But still a very good Giro. 7 sprints is ok. What's missing is the early real mountain arrival that gives some time differences. And ok, Asissi could have been made a bit tougher too, stage 6 although good maybe easies up too much toward the end, etc etc, small problems, the big one is Rocca di Cambio.

 

[Fus087]

MASSIVE plus for me is a stage finish in Montecatini Terme. Absolutely the most gorgeous little city in the rugged Tuscan countryside. Spent a few summers there as a child. Excellent choice by the route designer. The more Tuscany the better.

I'm sad they won't go over the Montalbano on that stage though, making it possible that it won't end in a sure mass sprint - I spent a few summers there as a child.
Visconti would surely be top-motivated if they went through San Baronto - that's where his fanclub is based.
Now, it's mostly just an incredibly long flat stage; I don't think the Vito climb will be enough to break things up.

 

[apmfbs]

First of all i´d like to introduce myself because it is my first message. I´m from Spain and I love cyclind and related to the giro it is a pity the lack of a 40 km ITT before Cervinia because the route is very good ( we have very good mountain stages such as Ressineli, Cortina,Pampeago and Stelvio and stages as Sestri Levante and Porto sant´lpidio that are really dangerous)
By the way, it is a shame the way that zomegnan has been treated today ( calling this giro as a human route and last year inhuman.........)

 

[Descender]

First of all i´d like to introduce myself because it is my first message. I´m from Sapin and I love cyclind and related to the giro it is a pity the lack of a 40 km ITT before Cervinia because the route is very good ( we have very good mountain stages such as Ressineli, Cortina,Pampeago and Stelvio and stages as Sestri Levante and Porto sant´lpidio that are really dangerous)
By the way, it is a shame the way that zomegnan has been treated today ( calling this giro as a human route and last year inhuman.........)

Sapin? Is that the country that's next to Protugal?

 

[apmfbs]

Sapin? Is that the country that's next to Protugal?

and bellow Farnce

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Are you a girl? Because if you are, saying this is totally legimate, but otherwise...

why? you hate homosexuals?

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

anyone pictures of rujano??

looking at the route what I know now it couldn't be any better for rujano, no annoying hilly stages for him. all either flat or real mountains, also multiple mountains on hard stages and no long flat parts in between, he can attack from far and tear down fields. its also all centered around 3rd week and rujano can peak like no one to a third week. also almost no itt km, which really anger me but is benefitlian to rujano although it will probably mean that again rujano will totally neglect his itt which is becoming a joke now

 

[Mellow Velo]

anyone pictures of rujano??

looking at the route what I know now it couldn't be any better for rujano, no annoying hilly stages for him. all either flat or real mountains, also multiple mountains on hard stages and no long flat parts in between, he can attack from far and tear down fields. its also all centered around 3rd week and rujano can peak like no one to a third week. also almost no itt km, which really anger me but is benefitlian to rujano although it will probably mean that again rujano will totally neglect his itt which is becoming a joke now

Change the record..............it's stuck.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

can't wait to be right again this coming may

 

[Lupetto]

anyone pictures of rujano??

 

[Lupetto]

The unpaved climb of stage 6 has 2,2 km of over 14%. Imagine what this will be like, when it is raining.

 

[42x16ss]

The unpaved climb of stage 6 has 2,2 km of over 14%. Imagine what this will be like, when it is raining.

Probably something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0jCHawi9II

 

[Eshnar]

The profile of Villa Tassani, final climb of stage 12

Enough to see some gc guy attacking.

This is the "climb" to Falzes in stage 16

No sprinter can go through this imo.

Edit: Images fixed.

 

[Ferminal]

^ Those are better than I expected, Stage 12 will be like the Vuelta then. Stage 16 is a good punchy finish - although I still don't think it's suited to the last week as it will probably just go to the break.

 

[Eshnar]

^ Those are better than I expected, Stage 12 will be like the Vuelta then. Stage 16 is a good punchy finish - although I still don't think it's suited to the last week as it will probably just go to the break.

Stage 12 is really good.
Stage 16 is a waste... had they climbed Terento, a good stage.