Breakaway day? Madness? Let's see.
Stage 12: Cesenatico – Cesenatico 204 km
Thursday, October 15th, 11:10 CEST
Technical Overview:
The Giro usually proposes stages that follow the route of a Granfondo, and this year the chosen one is the Nove Colli (the Nine Hills). This stage is a carbon copy of it, with start and finish in the town of Cesenatico and a counter-clockwise route. The first hill of the day, Polenta (9.8 km at 2.8%) comes after 26 km of flat and it is uncategorized, being overall very easy. It is followed by almost 20 km of more flattish roads that bring to the real meat of the stage, a basically uninterrupted sequence of eight climbs. San Matteo (4.3 km at 6.3%) is also uncategorized, this time undeservedly. It is followed by the first GPM of the day, Ciola (GPM4, 6 km at 6.4%), that would maybe deserve a third category. The descent is narrow and quite technical at the bottom, and it connects perfectly with the fourth hill, Barbotto (GPM3, 4.5 km at 8.4%). This climb features a really steep final section, and at the top there is a descending false flat on relatively wide roads. The fifth hill, Montetiffi (1.8 km at 9.8%), is again uncategorized, and after a quick descent the riders will hit the sixth hill, Perticara (GPM3, 8.1 km at 4.7%). A very twisty descent will then bring everyone to the seventh hill and highest point of the stage, Madonna di Pugliano (GPM3, 9.1 km at 5.5%), whose gradient is lowered by a 2.5 km false flat in the middle. Its descent is fast and fairly easy, and ends at the foot of the uncategorized eighth hill, Passo delle Siepi (5.2 km at 3.7%). Yet another descent and the peloton will find the ninth and last climb of the day. S.Giovanni in Galilea (GPM4, 4.4 km at 6.3%), that hides some serious ramps, in particular its last 900m at 9.6%. Shame that the top is at 30 km to go, half of it as an easy descent and half as pan flat to get back to the Adriatic coast.
The Climbs:
Ciola: GPM4, 6 km at 6.4%
Three steep km followed by three much easier ones.
Barbotto: GPM3, 4.5 km at 8.4%
Soldi climb with a steep final ramp.
Perticara: GPM3, 8.1 km at 4.7%
Longish climb (for this stage standards) but quit easy. In the official profile we get a free profile of the preceding climb too, Montetiffi, which is very short but steep.
Madonna di Pugliano: GPM3, 9.1 km at 5.5%
Two solid ramps divided by a short false flat.
S.Giovanni in Galilea: GPM4, 4.4 km at 6.3%
Structure very similar to the previous GPM, but overall shorter and steeper.
What to expect:
The stage is going to be really hard for everyone, but the breakaway should take it pretty easily unless something very unusual happens. GC attacks are unlikely due to the length of the flat section at the end.
Cesenatico