Let‘s go, plagiarism!!! Thanks, @Devil's Elbow
A remarkably similar stage to the previous one, meaning we’re getting our second of three consecutive sprint opportunities in an area with lots of potential for a good mid-mountain stage. Factor in that having a sprint here necessitates a rather dangerous finale and you really wonder what RCS were thinking…
The route
The stage starts from Acqui Terme, already a spa resort in the Roman era. The other key component of the town’s economy is winemaking, but the vineyards mostly disappear shortly after the start as the riders head into the Apennines, leaving Piedmont for the first time this race in the process.. In fact, the majority of the stage is spent in the Apennines, but with precious little in the way of climbing to show for it as RCS have once again seen fit to stick mostly to valley roads. The sole KOM of the day is the Colle del Melogno, from its easiest side.
Rather than descend directly to the Ligurian coast, the riders turn back on themselves to head for Savona, the third city in Liguria by population. The route loops over the short but stingy Colle del Bresca in the process.
From here, it’s a straightforward run down the coast on the same main road used in Milano-Sanremo. The penultimate port of call is Laigueglia, where the eponymous Trofeo marks the start of the Italian cycling season each year. Two roads link it to Andora: the steep Colla Micheri, focal point of said race, and the easy Capo Mele. So naturally, RCS went with option two.
The climb is only marginally easier (1.6k at 5.1%) than the one used at the end of the Fossano stage, but I expect this one to be less selective because a) the road is far wider, b) there are no curves to stretch things out whereas the climb into Fossano had two hairpins, and c) the road is rather exposed. So we should have close to a complete peloton heading into the final 2.7 kilometres, and as everyone knows, the safest thing to have in the finale of a sprint stage is a descent. Speeds will be north of 80 kilometres an hour on the descent, which lasts until 700 metres from the line, and the peloton should be tightly packed given that there are no significant curves to stretch things out. It has the potential to end in disaster, and just to cap things off there’s a roundabout at 400 metres to go.
Okay, rant over, I guess I haven’t said anything about the finish town yet. Andora was first settled in the 8th century BC, and was one of the more important towns on the Ligurian coast until a sacking by the Milanese coupled with the swamping and subsequent rise of malaria in its hinterland caused it to decline from the 15th century onwards. The development of the Italian Riviera as a tourist destination caused it to rebound, thanks in part to having one of the better beaches in the area.
What to expect?
Assuming no crash, a bigger sprint than on Monday.
Stage 4: Acqui Terme – Andora, 190.0k
A remarkably similar stage to the previous one, meaning we’re getting our second of three consecutive sprint opportunities in an area with lots of potential for a good mid-mountain stage. Factor in that having a sprint here necessitates a rather dangerous finale and you really wonder what RCS were thinking…
The route
The stage starts from Acqui Terme, already a spa resort in the Roman era. The other key component of the town’s economy is winemaking, but the vineyards mostly disappear shortly after the start as the riders head into the Apennines, leaving Piedmont for the first time this race in the process.. In fact, the majority of the stage is spent in the Apennines, but with precious little in the way of climbing to show for it as RCS have once again seen fit to stick mostly to valley roads. The sole KOM of the day is the Colle del Melogno, from its easiest side.
Rather than descend directly to the Ligurian coast, the riders turn back on themselves to head for Savona, the third city in Liguria by population. The route loops over the short but stingy Colle del Bresca in the process.
From here, it’s a straightforward run down the coast on the same main road used in Milano-Sanremo. The penultimate port of call is Laigueglia, where the eponymous Trofeo marks the start of the Italian cycling season each year. Two roads link it to Andora: the steep Colla Micheri, focal point of said race, and the easy Capo Mele. So naturally, RCS went with option two.
The climb is only marginally easier (1.6k at 5.1%) than the one used at the end of the Fossano stage, but I expect this one to be less selective because a) the road is far wider, b) there are no curves to stretch things out whereas the climb into Fossano had two hairpins, and c) the road is rather exposed. So we should have close to a complete peloton heading into the final 2.7 kilometres, and as everyone knows, the safest thing to have in the finale of a sprint stage is a descent. Speeds will be north of 80 kilometres an hour on the descent, which lasts until 700 metres from the line, and the peloton should be tightly packed given that there are no significant curves to stretch things out. It has the potential to end in disaster, and just to cap things off there’s a roundabout at 400 metres to go.
Okay, rant over, I guess I haven’t said anything about the finish town yet. Andora was first settled in the 8th century BC, and was one of the more important towns on the Ligurian coast until a sacking by the Milanese coupled with the swamping and subsequent rise of malaria in its hinterland caused it to decline from the 15th century onwards. The development of the Italian Riviera as a tourist destination caused it to rebound, thanks in part to having one of the better beaches in the area.
What to expect?
Assuming no crash, a bigger sprint than on Monday.
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