Giro 2018 Route Rumours

[Brullnux]

Big news. A local newspaper claims that the western mountain block will look like this:

??? - Prato Nevoso
Busca - Jafferau (via Finestre and Sestriere)
Susa - ??? (somewhere in Aosta valley)

If it's true, that'd have a ton of implications.

That Jafferau stage could be huge

 

[Max Rockatansky]

That Jafferau stage could be huge

Around 220k.

 

[staubsauger]

That Jafferau stage could be huge

Around 220k.

The silverfox already called Rujano if true!

 

[Tonton]

So far, this route has similarities to that of '17.

Any rumors wrt stages 8-9?

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Big news. A local newspaper claims that the western mountain block will look like this:

??? - Prato Nevoso
Busca - Jafferau (via Finestre and Sestriere)
Susa - ??? (somewhere in Aosta valley)

If it's true, that'd have a ton of implications.

wouldn't the Jafferau stage kind of neuter the rest of the race? EDIT oh they don't climb all of it - just the paved part, of course.

Also, are you saying that he last mountain stage will feature mostly flat roads, if they don't cross the border into France?

So, what would that stage look like, most likely?

Susa - a *** load of lowland / minor hills - first meaningless climb - St Pant. - Cervinia?

That would be terrible, IMO. I'd rather see they stay in the actual Aosta Valley for almost the entire run and do a one climb stage up Colle San Carlo and then descend into Courmayer instead. Even that would be much better.

 

[Valv.Piti]

So far, this route has similarities to that of '17.

Any rumors wrt stages 8-9?

Indeed, just much better!

 

[Red Rick]

How close is the Jafferau to Sestriere? It's a bit of an all or little stage.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Re:

How close is the Jafferau to Sestriere? It's a bit of an all or little stage.

http://www.gazzetta.it/static_images/ciclismo/giroditalia/2013/pdf/altimetria_14.pdf

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Re: Re:

How close is the Jafferau to Sestriere? It's a bit of an all or little stage.

http://www.gazzetta.it/static_images/ciclismo/giroditalia/2013/pdf/altimetria_14.pdf

Okay. Forgot all about that stage. I was under the mistaken impression that they would climb all of it, but I suppose the rest is a dirt road.

I don't think the stage works. A finish in Sestriere with just Finestre in front would even be better, and I hate that overrated finish with a passion. Although not as much as Val Senales and Cervinia. (Cervinia is cool as a 'medium mountain finish at altitude,' but not if it effectively takes the place of a much better mountain stage)

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Really, though, the Giro should pretty much stay out of the western Italian Alps if the Fauniera and Sampeyre descents are deemed unsafe, or if a rider strike is inevitable in a such a stage. If this is the best they can do if they don't make a detour into France (the Bonette stage was great, IMO) then maybe just climb Nivolet as a Unipublic type stage (with better scenery than anywhere in continental Spain - that part of Gran Paradiso N.P. is stunning, IMO) and call it a day.

And hit the eastern Alps twice instead. Because, why not.

 

[Red Rick]

I actually think the design is awesome. Sestriere isn't hard enough to discourage attacks, isn't hard enough to make caught breakaway domestiques irrelevant, and the Finestre is enough to shatter the peloton completely. Lots depends on what breakaway gets away, which is why having a climb right a the start of the stage rather than flat until Finestre would be best

 

[Eshnar]

Susa - a **** load of lowland / minor hills - first meaningless climb - St Pant. - Cervinia?

Well we still don't know where the finish is, but assuming it's Cervinia you can have Tzecore - St.Pantaleon - Cervinia in 215 km, or you can have the same + Lys at the beginning as a breakaway-forming-climb and go for 230 km. Nothing impossible and imho it'd be a pretty good final mountain stage, much better than if it was at the beginning of the mountain block.

 

[Eshnar]

Re:

I actually think the design is awesome. Sestriere isn't hard enough to discourage attacks, isn't hard enough to make caught breakaway domestiques irrelevant, and the Finestre is enough to shatter the peloton completely. Lots depends on what breakaway gets away, which is why having a climb right a the start of the stage rather than flat until Finestre would be best

Finestre would be at 80 km to go, which makes anything happening there not impossible, but definitely unlikely. At least there would be potential.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

I actually think the design is awesome. Sestriere isn't hard enough to discourage attacks, isn't hard enough to make caught breakaway domestiques irrelevant, and the Finestre is enough to shatter the peloton completely. Lots depends on what breakaway gets away, which is why having a climb right a the start of the stage rather than flat until Finestre would be best

Finestre would be at 80 km to go, which makes anything happening there not impossible, but definitely unlikely. At least there would be potential.

Finestre would top out at 71km. If you have domestiques to ride over Sestriere, the domestiques dropped on the Finestre won't be coming back. The only problem is that a big break needs to be at least 5 minutes ahead at the start.

 

[Gigs_98]

That Jafferau stage would remind me a bit on the Rissoul stage 2016. Pretty hard early on, a flat valley before the final climb and then a 1st cat. mtf. And all that as the penultimate mountain stage of the race. Doesn't look extremely exciting but could turn out great.

Oh and could we make a new forum rule that disliking the western Italian alps leads to an immediate ban. Thanks in advance.

 

[Valv.Piti]

That Jafferau stage would remind me a bit on the Rissoul stage 2016. Pretty hard early on, a flat valley before the final climb and then a 1st cat. mtf. And all that as the penultimate mountain stage of the race. Doesn't look extremely exciting but could turn out great.

Oh and could we make a new forum rule that disliking the western Italian alps leads to an immediate ban. Thanks in advance.

You are right, only a fair amount better than that particular stage on paper IMO. We have seen the godlike Finestre-Sestriere combo now with a finish on Sestriere, and its great, but I like shaking it up a bit.

 

[Gigs_98]

That Jafferau stage would remind me a bit on the Rissoul stage 2016. Pretty hard early on, a flat valley before the final climb and then a 1st cat. mtf. And all that as the penultimate mountain stage of the race. Doesn't look extremely exciting but could turn out great.

Oh and could we make a new forum rule that disliking the western Italian alps leads to an immediate ban. Thanks in advance.

You are right, only a fair amount better than that particular stage on paper IMO. We have seen the godlike Finestre-Sestriere combo now with a finish on Sestriere, and its great, but I like shaking it up a bit.

Yeah shaking things up a bit is great but maybe they should do it differently. What about a downhill finish in Pinerolo after Pramartino, a downhill finish directly in Fenestrelle or just pave the road from Sestriere to the Colle Basset so you can make a downhill finish in Sestriere after a hilly sterrato road over 2000 meters altitude. Or if you want the Finestre further away from the finish use another mtf where you don't have a valley before the mtf. For example you could finish in Montgenevre, in Sauze d'Oulx, or climb Sestriere twice since there are two western sides of the pass.

Rissoul 2016 was great but I think that was more of a coincidence so I'd definitely prefer a stage with shorter flat sections.

 

[Tonton]

So far, this route has similarities to that of '17.

Any rumors wrt stages 8-9?

Indeed, just much better!

'could be...Sicily much better, and if the stages 8-9 are better than '17, Blockhaus was cool but that was it for 8-9, it would balance the course, not get it so backloaded.

I hate an ITT after rest day tho'...why not get a long flat sprint stage and the contenders get the juices flowing?

 

[jens_attacks]

is jerusalem confirmed? that's pretty crazy

 

[Brullnux]

That Jafferau stage would remind me a bit on the Rissoul stage 2016. Pretty hard early on, a flat valley before the final climb and then a 1st cat. mtf. And all that as the penultimate mountain stage of the race. Doesn't look extremely exciting but could turn out great.

Oh and could we make a new forum rule that disliking the western Italian alps leads to an immediate ban. Thanks in advance.

Western alps are dull; dolomites are better than anything else in Europe.

The second part is honest

 

[Alexandre B.]

So far, this route has similarities to that of '17.

Any rumors wrt stages 8-9?

Indeed, just much better!

'could be...Sicily much better, and if the stages 8-9 are better than '17, Blockhaus was cool but that was it for 8-9, it would balance the course, not get it so backloaded.

I hate an ITT after rest day tho'...why not get a long flat sprint stage and the contenders get the juices flowing?

Afraid Giropino will suffer again?

 

[Gigs_98]

So far, this route has similarities to that of '17.

Any rumors wrt stages 8-9?

Indeed, just much better!

'could be...Sicily much better, and if the stages 8-9 are better than '17, Blockhaus was cool but that was it for 8-9, it would balance the course, not get it so backloaded.

I hate an ITT after rest day tho'...why not get a long flat sprint stage and the contenders get the juices flowing?

Coincidence that both you and pinot dislike hard stages after rest days?

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

So far, this route has similarities to that of '17.

Any rumors wrt stages 8-9?

Indeed, just much better!

'could be...Sicily much better, and if the stages 8-9 are better than '17, Blockhaus was cool but that was it for 8-9, it would balance the course, not get it so backloaded.

I hate an ITT after rest day tho'...why not get a long flat sprint stage and the contenders get the juices flowing?

Afraid Giropino will suffer again?

No need to worry about that, seeing as Pinot won't be there:

http://www.sport365.fr/cyclisme-tour-de-france-fdj-madiot-nenverra-plus-pinot-giro-4849081.html

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re:

is jerusalem confirmed? that's pretty crazy

יאָ, איך האָב ליב צו זען, אַ גרויסע וועלאָסיפעד ראַסע אין ישׂראל, אָבער דער דזשיראָ דיטאַליע? איך בין נישט אזוי זיכער. עס איז בעסער, אַ נײַע ראַסע צו האָבן, נאָר אין ישׂראל.

Edit: lol, left align on the second line...

 

[Nirvana]

Re: Re:

Is this really official?

It's not official. But I also don't believe, that a newspaper would publish three maps, that are fake. Well, you never know these days, but that would be a lot of effort for some Attention.

These are preliminary maps buf the graphic it's the one used by RCS and the assessore regionale allo sport confirmed the article so it's a done deal and we can't expect big changes in the definitive route.
Obviusly RCS won't confirm because it's a leak.

Except for that 6-7 billion ppl on this earth can do the profile on C.escalada and make it look prof.

I must still admit I don't the Sicily connection. Better to start in the foot/heal and do a Lago Laceno stage 5-6 followed a proper MTF stage 8-9

EDIT: to do an early MTF like this year is a waste. It didn't work. Only thing that works is to make the GC work harder for it by doing a PLBF or like the Vuelta this year with the VERY INTERESTING Rabassa-Andorra stage. A Diesel climbs gives nothing unless the GC is already shaken up.

That profiles was made by twitter page Lasterketaburua.
The leaked ones are the planimetries here http://www.lasicilia.it/news/home/98946/il-giro-d-italia-2018-ritorna-in-sicilia-con-tre-tappe.html
That are the official ones from RCS, look at the SDS logo that can't be made with an online editor.
And, as i said, that article was confirmed by the assessore regionale allo sport on his Facebook page, and he is the one that organizes the stages in Sicily so it's a one deal.