Giro d'Italia Giro d‘Italia 2025 Stage 7, Castel di Sangro-Tagliacozzo, 168k

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Well you managed to find one a Cat 1 from 5 yrs ago that was about the same level of difficulty so I suppose that proves me wrong. I'd say today is basically Mende.
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Orcières-Merlette has been a cat. 1 climb all 5 times it has been a stage finish (1971, 1972, 1982, 1989, 2020). It is overcategorised by stats alone (officially 7.1 km at 6.7 % in 2020), but it's an inherited status (somewhat akin to Arcalis).

Marsia is borderline by overall average gradient alone, but if you split it in two and sum them, it is nearly 20 % above the threshold for a TdF cat. 1.

Mende is the steepest cat. 2 climb in the chart above (imputed with its 2005 stats, 3.1 km at 10.1 % -- in 2022 it was officially at 3.0 km at 10.2 %), and there's no doubt that it is easier than Marsia.
 
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Duh, Arcalis got HC in the Tour.8
I mean, for everything we can blame RCS for, over categorization of climbs isn't one of them. I mean, they sometimes put legit 2nd category climbs without categorization.
A Giro cat. 1 shouldn't be compared with Tour cat. 1, as the Giro has no HC category. Tonale is easily cat. 1 in the Tour, but it has always been a cat. 2 in the Giro (and it is harder than Marsia).
 
Pedersen says that Lidl-Trek's objective is to keep the jersey, and they hope that Vacek can win the stage (from the break) and take it.

Honore says that EF's focus is on Carapaz and that they hope to win the stage, but they won't pull (all day?) as it's important to save yourself for the finish. Somewhat ambiguous if they will join the break.
 
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