Yeah, but they want the media buzz, a "big" presentation with big names attending and everything.
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Or the previous rumour about finishing in Torbole. Monte Fae followed by Barbara and then a descent finish to Torbole. That is a very nice combo of climbs.
You're probably right about that. But that is still better than them pulling some opposite horseshite, like a stage after the Bormio stage, starting in Bormio, directly into Stelvio and then a loooooong valley before a MTF somewhere in the Merano area.
As the only "big" MTF, it still is as good as such one gets (if from Mori), more or less. I doubt they'll do Bondone, and I can imagine that they'll go past Torbole, so my hope is Valbona and Bordala first.
Too many construction works for the Olympics in Cortina atm (last time I counted 20 cranes) and the whole mess that is the construction of the bobsleight track, riding though Cortina and finishing up there is a mess/a logistic nightmare. Apparently they did a recon and said that it was not possible/realistic.
It's not looking quite as good as I had hoped from some rumours but it's not bad. I don't think we will know what side of the mortirolo they are using until they route presentation but based on everything else I think it will be the easier side as they like to have 1 medium mountain stage for breakaways in the 3rd week a bit like the stage to sappada this year
All in all, it is pretty good, but still there are some annoying choices. Longer valley after Grappa. San Valentino and not Bormio as a queen stage. That combo of climbs in Aosta on a rather short stage and the day before Finestre. That combo should rather been saved for a proper tappone on a later occasion adding for example and at least Saint Panthaleon at first.
I worry that the Aosta stage is too similar to the Finestre stage and anyone who wants to try something will just wait until the finestre and an intresting combo of climbs will be wasted. Also San Valentino looks very similar to grand colombier which isn't usually the best climb for a summit finish, hopefully the difficult stage and santa barbara as a penultimate climb might make it more interesting. I would prefer san valentino from avio before a finish up La polsa which would probably be paid for by the same town so definitely doable
tbh they are both getting there information from the same articles as far as I can tell and just taking their own creative liberties on the exact route, I'd probably have more confidence in La Flamme Rouge purely because they said that the Bormio stage would be 150km when everyone thought it was starting in Riva del Garda so they seem to have a little bit more insider info
The Santa Barbara-San Valentino combo is rather suitable for a something like 130-140 km mountain stage, and the Mortirolo - Bormio stage should rather have been a tappone. Otherwise the mountain stages seems fairly good. Add the sterrato stage, and we're in for one of the best GC routes the later years.
Agreed. If there are stages, climbs and areas I want to see in the Giro the coming years, that is on the top of the list. A proper tappone including at least Tonale, Gavia, Mortirolo from Mazzo and finish in Aprica. The other stages I would most like to see is a tappone with Fedaia used the "correct" way, that is as the penultimate climb. And not the least a proper murito stage in Marche, same type as the use sometimes in TA.
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