Giro 2018 Route Rumours

[Kyllingen86]

I have some questions about a couple of the rumours.

Stage 9 - This finish at Campo Imperatore is good news but is this going to be an unipolar MTF? Or can we expect a couple of warm-up mountains?

Stage 13 - Earlier it was rumoured to maybe become a medium mountain stage. I take that option is more or less disappeared?

Stage 18 - Prato Nevoso as a MTF'finish is bad enough but as a unipolar MTF? Really? Please give me some kind of hope that at least the lead up will be hilly?

 

[Eshnar]

I have some questions about a couple of the rumours.

Stage 9 - This finish at Campo Imperatore is good news but is this going to be an unipolar MTF? Or can we expect a couple of warm-up mountains?

Stage 13 - Earlier it was rumoured to maybe become a medium mountain stage. I take that option is more or less disappeared?

Stage 18 - Prato Nevoso as a MTF'finish is bad enough but as a unipolar MTF? Really? Please give me some kind of hope that at least the lead up will be hilly?

- Not hard climbs, perhaps just some tough terrain. The stage will be very long already.
- no clue about that. If they want, they can make a really cool stage there. But with two mountain stages following, I don't know.
- If it really starts from Milan as rumoured, it's gonna be too long to put anything else in between.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

To attract Froome?

Both Froome and Knaven have more or less confirmed that he won't race the 2018 Giro. I'm sure RCS is aware.

 

[Eshnar]

a new article confirmed Gualdo Tadino on stage 10, but made no mention of the hilltop finish, nor of the stage start in Foligno the following day. Considering stage 8 and 9 are already MTFs, I think Gualdo Tadino will finish in the town. and the fact Foligno wasn't mention might be a good hint the following stage will start already in the Marche region (so, either Filottrano - Imola or the Fano - Pesaro ITT)

 

[jsem94]

Talk of Finestre. YEEEESSSSSS

 

[capuldemetal]

but the rumor has it that it will be about 60 k's from the finish line.too far too make a difference.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Re:

If it's 60kms from the start of the climb, then that's close enough to matter. 60kms from the top would be too far away though.

 

[roundabout]

Re: Re:

If it's 60kms from the start of the climb, then that's close enough to matter. 60kms from the top would be too far away though.

60 km from the top

Edit: probably closer to 70 if counting to the finish line

 

[DNP-Old]

Vegni wants to challenge this years Tour for worst route of the decade?

 

[ice&fire]

Re:

Vegni wants to challenge this years Tour for worst route of the decade?

They'll both lose the contest to the Vuelta

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Vegni wants to challenge this years Tour for worst route of the decade?

Zoncolan + Finestre and the time trialing makes it better by default than at least 3 Tour routes in the last decade.

 

[Red Rick]

The bar for worst routes is very high for basically every GT. The 2012 and 2014 Giro's both had appalling routes and pacing. Still better than the 2012 Tour though. If there's a hell I imagine I'll be forced to watch that race for all eternity

 

[Sestriere]

Re: Re:

If it's 60kms from the start of the climb, then that's close enough to matter. 60kms from the top would be too far away though.

60 km from the top

Edit: probably closer to 70 if counting to the finish line

Something has to happen on the Finestre, it's just too hard in my opinion. 18.5 km @ 9.2 %, half of it sterrato. Col de Portet suddenly looks rather cute in this context.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

If it's 60kms from the start of the climb, then that's close enough to matter. 60kms from the top would be too far away though.

60 km from the top

Edit: probably closer to 70 if counting to the finish line

Something has to happen on the Finestre, it's just too hard in my opinion. 18.5 km @ 9.2 %, half of it sterrato. Col de Portet suddenly looks rather cute in this context.

Incredibly likely it would be Finestre-Sestriere-Jafferau. I for sure hope they throw something in before the Finestre, but it's a combination that is incredibly dependent on the racing situation. If there's a break ahead with strong domestiques and people need to attack from far out, it's likely that a lot will happen on the Finestre.

 

[roundabout]

Jafferau is 40+ km further from Finestre than Sestriere, 35 of which is on terrain favorable for chasing. Anything that may happen on Finestre will be a bonus for me.

 

[Netserk]

Yeah, it's hard to imagine a scenario where it is selective enough to really mean that anyone of importance (at that point in the race) have been dropped, but that there would still be doms left to drive the pace. So a YUUUGE breakaway (or at least the right one) with a good gap at the bottom is needed.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

Jafferau is 40+ km further from Finestre than Sestriere, 35 of which is on terrain favorable for chasing. Anything that may happen on Finestre will be a bonus for me.

Hard racing on the Finestre typically rips the peloton to shreds. After an effort like that, domestiques are also relatively more tired if they've survived in the bunch.

 

[Gigs_98]

The possible finestre stage really reminds me on the Rissoul stage from 2016. Super hard climb far away from the finish, but quite a long flat section before a mtf and all that on the penultimate mountain stage. Sounds meh on paper, but in 2016 it worked great so who knows. Let's not forget the giro is never as controlled as the tour.

 

[Valv.Piti]

The possible finestre stage really reminds me on the Rissoul stage from 2016. Super hard climb far away from the finish, but quite a long flat section before a mtf and all that on the penultimate mountain stage. Sounds meh on paper, but in 2016 it worked great so who knows. Let's not forget the giro is never as controlled as the tour.

Yeah exactly. Many people mocked that stage (somewhat rightfully so), but sometimes crazy *** like that happens when you are throwing around with climbs like Agnello, Finestre, Fauniera etc.

 

[rbl85]

One of the worst Giro of the decade

 

[Kyllingen86]

Eshnar@ - Thanks for answering my questions

- Too bad about Campo Imperatore lead-up but I suppose even as a unipolar MTF it can create significant gaps between GC-contenders. If they make stage 10 a proper mountain stage (at least harder than this years Bagno Romagna) with a downhill finish to Gualdo Tadino that could work really well after Campo. Same principle as Zoncolan followed by Sappada-stage.
- Happy there is still a glimmer of hope (concerning stage 13)
- At least Prato Nevoso will be a long stage and not lack the weakness of this years stage to Oropa.

Concerning early action on the Finestre stage for me it depends on conditions. If Tom Dumoulin has a superior lead any rival might be forced to attack early on Finestre - on the other hand if the gap is less than a minute they will probably wait.

Btw are we looking at a possible 7 MTF's?
(Etna, Montevergine, Campo Imperatore, Zoncolan, Prato Nevoso, Jafferau, Cervinia)

The recent article here on cyclingnews state Etna will be climbed from the Valentino-side. Exactly how steep are we talking about and are there any news on preceding climbs? For some reason I just thought it would be unipolar but I don't know why.

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

One of the worst Giro of the decade

Calm, the route hasn't even been released.

 

[roundabout]

Campo Imperatore is this

http://www.cyclingcols.com/profiles/GranSasso.gif

4km of significant racing.

 

[Brullnux]

Campo Imperatore is this

http://www.cyclingcols.com/profiles/GranSasso.gif

4km of significant racing.

Yeah I don't know why people are expecting Blockhaus level gaps.

 

[Kyllingen86]

True but I thought like in 1999 it had to be an extension - so it look like this:

http://www.climbbybike.com/profile/Gran_Sasso_dItalia_Assergi_profile.gif