From @Devil's Elbow again:
The second-longest TT of the year (yes, really), and it’s not a flat one either. In other words, this is definitely the most important GC day in the first half of the race.
The route
The start is from Foligno, a town that seems to pop up almost annually in either the Giro or the Tirreno. In fact, this stage makes it five from the last eleven Giri to have had a start and/or finish in Foligno – Bouhanni, Greipel and Sagan all won a sprint here, while Dumoulin took the TT that started here in 2017. Founded before the Romans took control of this part of Italy, it was at its peak around the time of the Renaissance, as (amongst other things) the centre of hemp production in the Papal States. In the Second World War, it was bombed severely by the Allies, leaving a mostly modern city centre.
While all the talk was about the second TT being extended, it is in fact this TT that got bumped up past the 40k mark. The area of this time trial is historically Umbria’s most important and densely populated. The most famous town in this area is of course Assisi, on the hillside overlooking the route; the most significant place between the start and finish we actually pass through is Spello, notable for its Roman remains.
On the technical side of things, the first 34 kilometres are flat and mostly untechnical. That all changes on the outskirts of Perugia, when we reach the final time check and with it, the KOM. Its overall stats are 6.6k at 4.2%, but almost all the difficulty is in the first 1.3 kilometres, for some reason the only part of which we get a profile.
From there, the road rises in steps towards the finish line. The 2.3 kilometres after the wall average just 1.1%, but all the elevation gain is concentrated in a fraction of that distance. The final 3 kilometres are a bit harder, even containing a brief 11% section. As it’s a TT, it could easily be this irregular section, rather than the wall, where the real damage is done. The final kilometre is mostly on narrow, technical and (lightly) cobbled sections.
Perugia is the capital of and largest city in Umbria. In the 12th and 13th century, the Pope would often relocate here whenever Rome was deemed too unsafe – indeed, five conclaves were held here, one of which elected Celestine V, the last pope to abdicate before Benedict XVI did so in 2013. It was much more than a papal refuge, something that is highlighted by its university, founded in 1308 and among the ten oldest universities in the world. It then became increasingly at odds with its papal rulers, who eventually demolished part of the city to build a large citadel in the 16th century. Even with this deterrent, Perugia and the Popes remained at odds until the last, with a large uprising on the eve of reunification being bloodily suppressed by Papal troops. Today, the city is notable for its chocolate as well as having a people mover line spanning half the city for no apparent reason other than that it kicks ***.
What to expect?
A battle between the GC riders and the specialists for the stage win, although the route is perhaps better suited to the former. And, naturally, the GC order will enter the washing machine and exit at rather larger intervals than before.
Stage 7: Foligno – Perugia, 40.6k (ITT)
The second-longest TT of the year (yes, really), and it’s not a flat one either. In other words, this is definitely the most important GC day in the first half of the race.
The route
The start is from Foligno, a town that seems to pop up almost annually in either the Giro or the Tirreno. In fact, this stage makes it five from the last eleven Giri to have had a start and/or finish in Foligno – Bouhanni, Greipel and Sagan all won a sprint here, while Dumoulin took the TT that started here in 2017. Founded before the Romans took control of this part of Italy, it was at its peak around the time of the Renaissance, as (amongst other things) the centre of hemp production in the Papal States. In the Second World War, it was bombed severely by the Allies, leaving a mostly modern city centre.
While all the talk was about the second TT being extended, it is in fact this TT that got bumped up past the 40k mark. The area of this time trial is historically Umbria’s most important and densely populated. The most famous town in this area is of course Assisi, on the hillside overlooking the route; the most significant place between the start and finish we actually pass through is Spello, notable for its Roman remains.
On the technical side of things, the first 34 kilometres are flat and mostly untechnical. That all changes on the outskirts of Perugia, when we reach the final time check and with it, the KOM. Its overall stats are 6.6k at 4.2%, but almost all the difficulty is in the first 1.3 kilometres, for some reason the only part of which we get a profile.
From there, the road rises in steps towards the finish line. The 2.3 kilometres after the wall average just 1.1%, but all the elevation gain is concentrated in a fraction of that distance. The final 3 kilometres are a bit harder, even containing a brief 11% section. As it’s a TT, it could easily be this irregular section, rather than the wall, where the real damage is done. The final kilometre is mostly on narrow, technical and (lightly) cobbled sections.
Perugia is the capital of and largest city in Umbria. In the 12th and 13th century, the Pope would often relocate here whenever Rome was deemed too unsafe – indeed, five conclaves were held here, one of which elected Celestine V, the last pope to abdicate before Benedict XVI did so in 2013. It was much more than a papal refuge, something that is highlighted by its university, founded in 1308 and among the ten oldest universities in the world. It then became increasingly at odds with its papal rulers, who eventually demolished part of the city to build a large citadel in the 16th century. Even with this deterrent, Perugia and the Popes remained at odds until the last, with a large uprising on the eve of reunification being bloodily suppressed by Papal troops. Today, the city is notable for its chocolate as well as having a people mover line spanning half the city for no apparent reason other than that it kicks ***.
What to expect?
A battle between the GC riders and the specialists for the stage win, although the route is perhaps better suited to the former. And, naturally, the GC order will enter the washing machine and exit at rather larger intervals than before.
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