Time for one of them hyped hilly stages.
Stage 10: Lanciano – Tortoreto 177 km
Tuesday, October 13th, 11:55 CEST
Technical Overview:
Straight off the first rest day, the riders will face an awesome stage full of walls and tricky roads in the finale. The first GPM of the day comes after 45 km, possibly with the break of the day still forming. The wall of Chieti (GPM4, 1.8km at 7.8%), with its 1km long stretch at 11.5%, is a common sight at the Tirreno Adriatico, so most of the peloton should be familiar with it. From there the riders will head back to the coast, where they’ll stay for 60 km, all the way to the first intermediate sprint of Giulianova. At 60 km to go we reach Tortoreto, where the finish is supposed to be, but the route will take a long detour instead. First, the peloton will ride the GPM of Tortoreto (GPM4, 2.9 km at 7.3%), which is actually two steep walls connected by a short easier section. Its descent leads to another 10 km of flat along the coast to reach the town of Martinsicuro, where an impressive sequence of hills starts. The first one is also the hardest: Colonnella (GPM3, 3.1 km at 9.2%) is just a really tough climb that might do a lot of damage if the pace is high. The top is at 39 km to go, so not too long for attackers to seriously consider to try something. At the top there is a 5 km descending plateau, and then the road will go up again to the wall of Controguerra (900m at 9.7%), which instead of a GPM has the second intermediate sprint. This wall is much tougher than the average suggests, as it features a massive ramp of 250m at over 20% average. After the sprint (33 km to go) there is another descending false flat of 7 km which leads to a little climb of 3.5 km with mostly gentle slopes, having only one serious ramp at 8% in the last km. Another small descent will then bring the riders to yet another climb to Tortoreto (from a different road, 2.5 km at 7.1%). This uncategorized climb is quite irregular and hides another short 20% ramp in the middle. The top is at 18 km to go, and the following descent connects about halfway to the first climb of Tortoreto (GPM4, 1.8 km at 7.2%), so all that’s left is to climb the second wall of it, with max gradient 18%. From here only 11 km remain, 4 of which are a descent and the last 7 are flat and mostly straight along the coast.
The Climbs:
Chieti: GPM4, 1.8km at 7.8%
Used many times in Tirreno – Adriatico. Just short and very steep, with 1.1 km at 11.5% followed by a false flat. No official profile.
Tortoreto x2: GPM4, 2.9 km at 7.3%
This climb is divided into two ramps: the first one, that will be climbed only during the first passage, is 500m at 15.1%. The riders will enter the climb for the second passage just at the top of this ramp. After another km with gentle slopes, there is another steep ramp with very similar numbers to the first.
Colonnella: GPM3, 3.1 km at 9.2%
The hardest climb of this stage, it will be the perfect opener for the final sequence. It’s quite constant and does not offer any respite until the top.
Controguerra: 900m at 9.7%
Just a (really) steep wall. It is not categorized but we have an official profile, so I might as well add it.
Tortoreto (Via Badetta): 2.5 km at 7.1%
An irregular climb that hides very steep ramps along with lots of flattish sections, even a short descent near the top.
What to expect:
The stage suits pretty much any outcome, including a battle between the GC guys. It is possible to attack anywhere in the last 40 kms, and in any case a huge selection in the pack should be almost guaranteed. The last 7 flat kms might be a deterrent for the lighter guys, but still I don’t think they will be much of a factor.
Tortoreto Lido