Stage 13: Cervia – Monselice 192 km
Friday, October 16th, 11:40 CEST
Technical Overview:
A stage that might provide some surprises, with a very tricky finale. From Cervia the peloton will cross the Po Valley for 155 km, the only points of interest being the two intermediate sprints of Rovigo and Galzignano Terme, before entering the Colli Euganei area, where the fun begins. At 34 km to go the first climb of the day starts. Il Roccolo (GPM4, 4.1 km at 8.3%) is a serious climb, with a very steep ramp at 20% near the beginning and a final km at over 11% average (the official profile marks 13.4%, but it’s a typo… it’s 11.4% instead). Its top is at 30 km to go, and after a pretty fast descent the peloton will only face 4 km of flat before entering the second and last climb of the day, Calaone (GPM4, 2.1 km at 9.5%). This climb is much shorter than the previous one, but just as tough. The descent is very fast and on wide roads, and brings to the town of Este, from which only 12 km remain to reach Monselice, all on flat roads.
The Climbs:
Il Roccolo: GPM4, 4.1 km at 8.3%
A very steep short climb that will almost surely force a selection. As mentioned above, the last stretch marked at 13.4% is actually “only” 11.4%.
Calaone: GPM4, 2.1 km at 9.5%
Shorter than the previous climb but overall steeper and more regular.
What to expect:
This stage is perfect for an attacker. The two climbs might even be hard enough for GC to try an attack if they really want so, but I don’t believe that will happen, considering the 12 km of flat at the end and tomorrow’s stage.