Giro d'Italia 2019 rumours

[Libertine Seguros]

I would expect Stelvio and Mortirolo would need to be in separate stages because Stelvio would by demand need to be the Cima Coppi, so it would be strange to have that over 100km out as there's a fair way from there to Mazzo and then you'd have to finish on Aprica realistically. It's not out of the question of course, if it's right near the end of the race, like in 2008 (but hopefully without the descent to Tirano unless they're unearthing Monte Padrio). Descending the Großglockner would require them to have been some significant way north into Austria to justify it, and the descent would still be very, very long because they'd have to go through Paß Iselsberg too.

Now, there are a few absolute brutes (10%+ averages) all around Lienz, but all of them are dead ends. The other option would be to approach via Pustertaler Höhenstraße but that would be its easy side. As for Oropa, if they descended to the finish it would be great but I assume Biella is paying so we get the same old same old. I'm so over Oropa now. It's not that good a climb and if Pantani hadn't gone ballistic nobody would care. MTT or nothing.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Giro 2019 Route Rumours

A stage to Lienz with the großglockner would fit quite well as a stage 15 after a hard Tre cime mtf. You could start somewhere close to Austria like Innichen than ride through the Pustertal to Lienz followed by a gigantic lap over the Felbeetauern Pass, the Großglockner and the Iselsberg, before returning to Lienz. That really would only work with a rest day the following day as the Großglockner would be quite far away from the finish and there is an almost 20 km long false flat descending section between the end of the Großglockner descent and the start of the Iselsberg climb. I still think it could be quite interesting that way as the Großglockner simply is an absolute brute. That said, I write this out of the perspective of an Austrian so of course I want a stage to Austria. If I was from another country I wouldn't exactly be hyped about a stage to Lienz

 

[Eshnar]

There are rumours about a stage involving the Passo San Marco. If that's the case, it seems clear that they'll approach Valtellina from the west, which means Stelvio - Mortirolo is rather unlikely. More likely would be Mortirolo - Stelvio. Anyway, while it seems Mortirolo is very likely to be in the route, the Stelvio is much less likely afaik.

 

[ice&fire]

Wouldn't it be possible to use Passo San Marco as a way out of Valtellina coming from the area around Tirano?

 

[Eshnar]

Re:

Wouldn't it be possible to use Passo San Marco as a way out of Valtellina coming from the area around Tirano?

well, yes. But where to go from there?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Copy of the Piani dei Resinelli stage in 2012? Or Foppolo MTF?

 

[Netserk]

Finish at San Pellegrino Terme after Dossena.

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

I would expect Stelvio and Mortirolo would need to be in separate stages because Stelvio would by demand need to be the Cima Coppi, so it would be strange to have that over 100km out as there's a fair way from there to Mazzo and then you'd have to finish on Aprica realistically. It's not out of the question of course, if it's right near the end of the race, like in 2008 (but hopefully without the descent to Tirano unless they're unearthing Monte Padrio). Descending the Großglockner would require them to have been some significant way north into Austria to justify it, and the descent would still be very, very long because they'd have to go through Paß Iselsberg too.

Now, there are a few absolute brutes (10%+ averages) all around Lienz, but all of them are dead ends. The other option would be to approach via Pustertaler Höhenstraße but that would be its easy side. As for Oropa, if they descended to the finish it would be great but I assume Biella is paying so we get the same old same old. I'm so over Oropa now. It's not that good a climb and if Pantani hadn't gone ballistic nobody would care. MTT or nothing.

You could have a nasty stage with the Höhenstraße before a descent finish in Lienz, if it was up to me we'd get something like this after a Würzjoch/Passo delle Erbe MTT:
http://www.cronoescalada.com/index.php/tracks/viewTour/311265/168995

You could also have a great short stage after Tre Cime that starts in Cortina, Tre Croci right at the start, Passo di San Antonio, 2nd half of Passo Monte Croce Comelico, one of steep sides of the Innichberg, another short steep climb (Sillianberg or Tessenberg) and the the Höhenstraße before a descent finish in Lienz.
Otherwise you corss the Austrian Border on the Plöckenpass, climb the long Kartitscher Satter, Tessenberg and then the Höhenstraße before a descent finish.
This side of the Höhenstraße is still great, have the stage right after a hard MTF and you could have a great stage like the Sappada stage:

 

[Nirvana]

As expected in Cuneo are working to celebrate Coppi with Cuneo-Pinarolo stage.
https://www.cuneodice.it/sport/cuneo-e-valli/la-cuneo-pinerolo-nel-giro-d-italia-2019-la-granda-puo-sognare_15756.html

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

As expected in Cuneo are working to celebrate Coppi with Cuneo-Pinarolo stage.
https://www.cuneodice.it/sport/cuneo-e-valli/la-cuneo-pinerolo-nel-giro-d-italia-2019-la-granda-puo-sognare_15756.html

Yes! I really want such a stage, stage 20 please.

 

[May0maniac]

Ponte di Legno wants a stage finish and will probably get it.
Theyll ride through Ponte di Legno for the first time, Gavia from that side, descent, Mortirolo from Valtellina and a finish in Ponte di Legno. That would be similar to a classic Aprica finish.
source: http://www.camunity.it/flash_page.php?id=39606

 

[Eshnar]

Re:

Ponte di Legno wants a stage finish and will probably get it.
Theyll ride through Ponte di Legno for the first time, Gavia from that side, descent, Mortirolo from Valtellina and a finish in Ponte di Legno. That would be similar to a classic Aprica finish.
source: http://www.camunity.it/flash_page.php?id=39606

That would be great. What is interesting is that they'll approach from the Bergamo area, meaning that if San Marco is in, it would be the stage before this, and it would have to be climbed from north.

 

[Red Rick]

Ponte di Legno is just the false flat right, they're not climbing all the way to Tonale?

 

[Eshnar]

Re:

Ponte di Legno is just the false flat right, they're not climbing all the way to Tonale?

the article explicitely mentions the finishing line to be in town.

 

[zlev11]

ha, i made a stage similar to that on chronoescalada a long time ago (didn't use the Gavia though)

 

[Red Rick]

That's gonna be about 20km of false flat downhill from Bormio to the bottom of the Mortirolo? Same road as in 2012 but in reverse,except to Mazzo instead of Grosio?

Anyway, Ponte di Legno alone looks about as hard as Aprica, so it's a nice variation, and I'm gonna guess we get Aprica from Tirano as the first climb? Looks like a really cool stage to me.

 

[Eshnar]

Re:

That's gonna be about 20km of false flat downhill from Bormio to the bottom of the Mortirolo? Same road as in 2012 but in reverse,except to Mazzo instead of Grosio?

Anyway, Ponte di Legno alone looks about as hard as Aprica, so it's a nice variation, and I'm gonna guess we get Aprica from Tirano as the first climb? Looks like a really cool stage to me.

more like 25-30 km between Bormio and Mazzo.
If they are coming from Bergamo/Lake Iseo, there is no way to climb Aprica or anything. They'll pretty much go straight to the Gavia, maybe they can just add a small climb at the beginning.

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

That's gonna be about 20km of false flat downhill from Bormio to the bottom of the Mortirolo? Same road as in 2012 but in reverse,except to Mazzo instead of Grosio?

Anyway, Ponte di Legno alone looks about as hard as Aprica, so it's a nice variation, and I'm gonna guess we get Aprica from Tirano as the first climb? Looks like a really cool stage to me.

more like 25-30 km between Bormio and Mazzo.
If they are coming from Bergamo/Lake Iseo, there is no way to climb Aprica or anything. They'll pretty much go straight to the Gavia, maybe they can just add a small climb at the beginning.

They could easily do more, but it would be quite unlikely to see a monster like this (although I'd prefer a start from Costa Volpino, also going to Rovetta):

 

[Eshnar]

Presolana, yes. Vivione, no way.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

That's gonna be about 20km of false flat downhill from Bormio to the bottom of the Mortirolo? Same road as in 2012 but in reverse,except to Mazzo instead of Grosio?

Anyway, Ponte di Legno alone looks about as hard as Aprica, so it's a nice variation, and I'm gonna guess we get Aprica from Tirano as the first climb? Looks like a really cool stage to me.

more like 25-30 km between Bormio and Mazzo.
If they are coming from Bergamo/Lake Iseo, there is no way to climb Aprica or anything. They'll pretty much go straight to the Gavia, maybe they can just add a small climb at the beginning.

Whoops I thought they were coming from the south west, not the south east. Anyway, it's also like a 700m drop from Bormio to Mazzo so it shouldn't take tooo long. It's not like we're gonna see Gavia attacks but a reduced field at the start of the Mortirolo would be pretty cool. I'd like a medium sized climb early in the stage.

This stage is somewhere at the end of the 2nd week?

 

[Netserk]

Yes, it won't happen - with good reason. I'm merely pointing out that it is an option, and that the stage length would even be quite reasonable if they start from e.g. Costa Volpino. I too think we'll see a stage start similar to the Bormio stage of last year.

 

[Eshnar]

Re: Re:

This stage is somewhere at the end of the 2nd week?

I assume it's stage 15.

 

[Kyllingen86]

Re: Giro 2019 Route Rumours

I can't wait for this thread to become active again. So tired of Sky de France. These days I am looking more forward to route revealings rather than the race itself

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Re: Re:

As expected in Cuneo are working to celebrate Coppi with Cuneo-Pinarolo stage.
https://www.cuneodice.it/sport/cuneo-e-valli/la-cuneo-pinerolo-nel-giro-d-italia-2019-la-granda-puo-sognare_15756.html

Yes! I really want such a stage, stage 20 please.

There were tweets yesterday, that local authorities have confirmed the stage. I don't know how legit it is. The stage was planned for 2009, but the route had to be altered due to landslides. So 1982 was the second and last time they did it.

The final mountain showdown was run on as dramatic a course as could be imagined. Stage twenty-one was 254 kilometers going from Cuneo, south of Turin, over five major Alpine mountains: the Maddalena, Vars, Izoard, Montgenèvre and Sestriere, ending in Pinerolo. This was the same route used in stage seventeen of the historic 1949 Giro where Fausto Coppi had displayed extraordinary superiority, beating Gino Bartali by 12 minutes and third-place Alfredo Martini by almost 20 minutes. Hinault said he had no intention of trying to equal Coppi’s wonderful solo ride into history. He only wanted to make sure Prim didn’t win the Giro.

The first three climbs weren’t ridden aggressively, but they took their toll, only thirteen riders remaining together in Briançon for the start of the Montgenèvre. Bianchi had all three of its top guns, Prim, Contini and Baronchelli there while Hinault was completely isolated. With all of those fine cards in their hand, Bianchi did nothing. The front group went over the final two climbs almost intact, at no point was Hinault put under pressure. Saronni won the sprint, Hinault was second followed by Prim and Contini. Giancarlo Ferretti, the director of the Bianchi team is nicknamed Il Volpone (“the Fox”) for his tactical astuteness. I wonder why.

From bikeraceinfo.com. Sounds like a stage from today.

 

[Forever The Best]

I would love it with Sampeyre and Agnello instead of Maddalena and Vars.