More copy+paste of Devil’s Elbow’s write-up.
The first week concludes with the second-longest stage of the race. Only 1300 metres of elevation gain sounds ideal for the sprinters, but most of them come pretty late.
The route
The stage starts from Avezzano, in the southwestern corner of the Abruzzo region. It is located at the edge of where the Fucine Lake, then the largest in the Italian peninsula (within the country as a whole, Garda and Maggiore are larger), used to be. Said lake often flooded due to its lack of an outflow and also harboured malaria. The Romans partially drained it in the first and second centuries, but the drainage systems fell into disuse in the Middle Ages and the lake grew with each century. Finally, in the late 19th century, the lake was drained completely, and the fertile lakebed becoming available for cultivation meant Avezzano grew rapidly. But then, tragedy struck in 1915 in the shape of an earthquake, which killed over 30000 people and destroyed the city, which had to be rebuilt, and then rebuilt again following Allied bombing. Today, its economy relies mostly on crops from the former lakebed as well as the satellite teleport centre, one of the world’s largest.
There isn’t overly much to talk about for most of the stage. Once again, the riders pass through Lazio without there being a start or finish there. The most significant town visited in this portion is Cassino, completely destroyed in the Second World War in the Battle of Montecassino, one of the bloodiest in the Italian Campaign. After crossing the border into Campania, we have the intermediate and Intergiro sprints, before the day’s main course in the Naples conurbation. The finale starts with Monte di Procida, from the side descended in the 2022 Naples stage, which is the day’s sole KOM.
A short descent takes the riders into Bacoli, where they can squabble over bonus seconds at the sprint. The route of Bacoli is a 20-metre bump into Baia, the now half-submerged Roman equivalent to the most luxury resorts on the French Riviera. It is also the start of the short, but difficult little wall up Via Petronio – only 900 metres in length, but with 100 metres at 16% out of the first hairpin. Said hairpin is where we join the route of the 2022 Giro stage into Naples, and from here on out the route is identical.
A brief descent and a flat that isn’t much longer separate the summit from Pozzuoli, where we pass by the Roman amphitheatre and head up the hill to San Gennaio. Consistently at about 5% most of the way up on a very wide road, it isn’t the most testing hill, but coming inside the final 20k it should at least be taken at pace.
One last hill separates the riders from the finish line in Naples. It’s probably the day’s toughest, but that isn’t saying much.
The descent lasts until 3k from the line, then there’s a 180-degree turn at the flamme rouge that wasn’t an issue in 2022 but, if we get a sprint this time, definitely could be one.
Naples was founded as Neapolis by the Greeks and had already become a large trading centre prior to it falling to Rome during the Samnite Wars in the late 4th century BC, a status it has maintained ever since. It reached its zenith in the 17th century, when it was the second-largest city in Europe (behind Paris) and a leading centre of the Baroque, before an outbreak of the plague claimed half its population. It has remained the largest city in southern Italy until the present day, but it is also very much a city where the effects of Southern Italy’s Sodom and Gomorra – the north-south divide and the mafia – can be felt strongly. Modern Naples is a city of high highs and deep lows, where you’re as likely to come across a remarkable piece of architecture as you are to stumble into uncollected garbage – which will it be for this stage, the third in as many years to finish here?
What to expect?
The final two hills probably aren’t hard enough for a finisseur attack, making it a great stage for a reduced bunch sprint (think something along the lines of the stage Pedersen won at last year’s Tour, only with a flat sprint). That being said, the breakaway specialists will fancy their chances too.
Stage 9: Avezzano – Napoli, 214.0k
The first week concludes with the second-longest stage of the race. Only 1300 metres of elevation gain sounds ideal for the sprinters, but most of them come pretty late.
The route
The stage starts from Avezzano, in the southwestern corner of the Abruzzo region. It is located at the edge of where the Fucine Lake, then the largest in the Italian peninsula (within the country as a whole, Garda and Maggiore are larger), used to be. Said lake often flooded due to its lack of an outflow and also harboured malaria. The Romans partially drained it in the first and second centuries, but the drainage systems fell into disuse in the Middle Ages and the lake grew with each century. Finally, in the late 19th century, the lake was drained completely, and the fertile lakebed becoming available for cultivation meant Avezzano grew rapidly. But then, tragedy struck in 1915 in the shape of an earthquake, which killed over 30000 people and destroyed the city, which had to be rebuilt, and then rebuilt again following Allied bombing. Today, its economy relies mostly on crops from the former lakebed as well as the satellite teleport centre, one of the world’s largest.
There isn’t overly much to talk about for most of the stage. Once again, the riders pass through Lazio without there being a start or finish there. The most significant town visited in this portion is Cassino, completely destroyed in the Second World War in the Battle of Montecassino, one of the bloodiest in the Italian Campaign. After crossing the border into Campania, we have the intermediate and Intergiro sprints, before the day’s main course in the Naples conurbation. The finale starts with Monte di Procida, from the side descended in the 2022 Naples stage, which is the day’s sole KOM.
A short descent takes the riders into Bacoli, where they can squabble over bonus seconds at the sprint. The route of Bacoli is a 20-metre bump into Baia, the now half-submerged Roman equivalent to the most luxury resorts on the French Riviera. It is also the start of the short, but difficult little wall up Via Petronio – only 900 metres in length, but with 100 metres at 16% out of the first hairpin. Said hairpin is where we join the route of the 2022 Giro stage into Naples, and from here on out the route is identical.
A brief descent and a flat that isn’t much longer separate the summit from Pozzuoli, where we pass by the Roman amphitheatre and head up the hill to San Gennaio. Consistently at about 5% most of the way up on a very wide road, it isn’t the most testing hill, but coming inside the final 20k it should at least be taken at pace.
One last hill separates the riders from the finish line in Naples. It’s probably the day’s toughest, but that isn’t saying much.
The descent lasts until 3k from the line, then there’s a 180-degree turn at the flamme rouge that wasn’t an issue in 2022 but, if we get a sprint this time, definitely could be one.
Naples was founded as Neapolis by the Greeks and had already become a large trading centre prior to it falling to Rome during the Samnite Wars in the late 4th century BC, a status it has maintained ever since. It reached its zenith in the 17th century, when it was the second-largest city in Europe (behind Paris) and a leading centre of the Baroque, before an outbreak of the plague claimed half its population. It has remained the largest city in southern Italy until the present day, but it is also very much a city where the effects of Southern Italy’s Sodom and Gomorra – the north-south divide and the mafia – can be felt strongly. Modern Naples is a city of high highs and deep lows, where you’re as likely to come across a remarkable piece of architecture as you are to stumble into uncollected garbage – which will it be for this stage, the third in as many years to finish here?
What to expect?
The final two hills probably aren’t hard enough for a finisseur attack, making it a great stage for a reduced bunch sprint (think something along the lines of the stage Pedersen won at last year’s Tour, only with a flat sprint). That being said, the breakaway specialists will fancy their chances too.
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