- Feb 18, 2015
- 13,585
- 9,219
- 28,180
As always, thanks to @Devil's Elbow for his amazing preview.
Map and profile
Start
A short hop east through the floodplains has landed the peloton in Rovigo. Originally a village dating back to at least the 9th century, it was fortified in the 10th century when the bishop from nearby Adria fled here amidst the Hungarian invasions. As we are just 30 kilometres north of Ferrara here, it is perhaps unsurprising that the House of Este took control here as early as the start of the 12th century. They also constructed the castle, of which the Torre Donà, which dominates the town’s skyline, remains. Sources contradict on whether the tower is 51, 60 or 66 metres high (I suspect this has to do with the loss of the uppermost part in the 17th century after a lightning strike) and whether it was constructed in the 12th or 14th century, but it’s definitely up there (quite literally) as far as medieval towers go. Rovigo and its surroundings were hit badly by flooding in the 15th century, and with the House of Este deeply in debt to the Republic of Venice, control of Rovigo was ceded to the latter in 1482. The Venetians further developed the town, but the discovery of the sea route around Africa and repeated military defeats at the hands of the Ottoman Empire sent the famed maritime republic into a decline so steep that it had no fleet to speak of by the time Napoleon extinguished it in 1797. As such, it should come as no surprise that Rovigo, too, struggled in this era.
And unlike most of the rest of northern Italy, its standing did not improve much through the Austrian period and reunification. Although certainly not comparable to the most impoverished areas in the south, Rovigo and its surroundings were a major source of emigration in the second half of the 19th century, were classified as a disadvantaged area after the Second World War and remain a backwater within the Veneto region. Much like Viadana, its main sporting heritage is in rugby, with the local team boasting 14 Italian titles, including two of the last four. Unlike Viadana, it has hosted the Giro before, most recently in 2001 when (shocker) Mario Cipollini won the sprint.
(picture by Threecharlie at Wikimedia Commons)
Route
The first two-thirds of the stage are very easy. Yes, the route traverses the Colli Euganei early on, but it only incorporates the one climb and Passo Roverello is hardly the most difficult option on offer.
After this, there is a long flat section, detouring west through the intermediate sprint in Noventa Vicentina until the foothills of the Alps are reached. The route then doubles back on itself, following the edge of the foothills towards Vicenza. Early on in this section, we have the second intermediate sprint in San Bonifacio, hometown of the late Davide Rebellin. To illustrate just how long his career was: his sole Giro stage win came in 1996.
I doubt this day is intended as a tribute, but the remainder of the stage would have been very much to the great puncheur’s liking. At sixty kilometres from the like, we enter the Colli Berici, and from here on out there are six hills to tackle. Yes, it looks like five hills on the stage profile, but the rise out of Pederiva is actually two climbs separated by 1.5 kilometres of flat. The first of said climbs is the Calto Pozzolo.
And on the other side of Pozzolo, we have the easiest of the day’s climbs, Garzola.
The descent is narrow and backs directly into the next climb, the hardest of the day: San Giovanni in Monte, known outside the Giro as La Scudelletta. The flat that follows it probably precludes any action, but having said that this is a great place to drill it if any GC riders went into said descent out of position…
Annoyingly, the aforementioned flat is caused by the fact that they’re going around rather than through the hills into Vicenza – the obvious thing to do here would have been to join the originally-planned 2020 Worlds lap and climb Via Costacolonna (1.7k at 7.1%). Instead, the next hill is the one used for the finish, Monte Berico. The Giro also had a stage here a decade ago (won by Philippe Gilbert) and it’s also hosted the last two editions of Giro del Veneto (with Dorian Godon and Corbin Strong emerging victorious).
However, no profile just yet, as it’s the final kilometres profile and we aren’t actually there yet. Instead, we have our second final circuit in as many days, and this one is pretty interesting. Aside from the HTF, its main feature is the bonification sprint in Arcugnano. The 1.1k at 8.9% section leading into it is a credible place to launch an attack, especially considering that the climb crests with just 10.4k to go, but will anhone be tempted?
Finish
The ensuing descent is fairly straightforward and gives way to 6.5 kilometres of flat, the majority of which the riders have already been down once. And then, HTF time.
Vicenza dates back to pre-Roman times and has been large enough to be considered, at a minimum, a town for over two millennia, but it would take quite some time for It to claim a place in history. Although the theatre could hold over 5000 spectators, it was fairly unassuming in Roman times. However, the city appears to have been spared of the worst of the destruction of Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages. Perhaps it was for this reason that it became both a feudal and an ecclesiastical seat after the Lombard invasion in the 6th century. After going through what is probably its lowest point with the sacking by the Hungarians in 899, Vicenza, like the other cities in the region, gradually became autonomous. However, it had powerful neighbours from all sides, and from the 12th century onwards was controlled in turn by Padova, Verona and Milano. These repeated changes were often the result of war, and thus the Vicenza area was frequently a war theatre in this era. Despite this, Vicenza continued to grow, although it never reached the heights of the cities that controlled it.
In 1404, with Padova and Venice going to war, Vicenza submitted to the latter. This proved to be an advantageous decision, as the Venetians extinguished Paduan independence and went from controlling only a small pocket of land near its lagoon to an area roughly corresponding with modern Veneto. Vicenza would be under virtually interrupted Venetian control for the rest of the Republic’s existence, and the combination of relative peace, the general wealth of the Republic and favourable treatment by the Venetian government helped usher in a golden age. The one interruption came in 1509, and was a significant one: a century of Venetian expansion was challenged during the Italian Wars by the League of Cambrai, a coalition of France, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain and the Papal States. Tensions had been simmering for some time, but the alliance was convened by the Pope when Venice appointed a new bishop to Vicenza against his will. The Republic of Venice was very nearly crushed in the early stages of the war, but turned the tide by repelling the Siege of Padova. Vicenza was then retaken after half a year of occupation. The war would continue for seven confused years in which almost every party switched allegiance at some point, but the direct threat to both the Republic and Vicenza was over. What nobody knew at the time, was that the person who would define Vicenza more than anyone else was born in the same year as the League of Cambrai. Originally hailing from Padova, Andrea Palladio rose to become the quintessential Renaissance architect as well as one of the most influential architects in history. Of the 47 Palladian villas that form part of the UNESCO World Heritage inscription, 23 are in the city centre of Vicenza, and considering Palladio’s reputation even during his own lifetime this speaks to the city’s wealth at the time.
As the Venetian Republic faded, Vicenza stagnated too, but the end of the Republic was still felt as it also put an end to Vicenza’s privileges. Perhaps it was for this reason that Vicenza was one of the cities that most strongly resisted Austria during the First Italian War of Independence in 1848, however an Austrian army of 30000 subdued the city after a battle atop our finish location on Monte Berico. The Veneto would remain part of the Austrian Empire for another eighteen years. It was spared of the worst in the First World War (despite the front lines coming relatively close), only to suffer approximately 1000 casualties and heavy material damage by Allied bomings in the Second World War. This hardship has not prevented the city from becoming one of the wealthiest in Italy, with its gold and jewellery sector being of particular note. It is also the hometown of Emanuele Sella, reportedly voted cyclist of the year by iodine tablet producers in 2008.
(picture by Sirleonidas at Wikimedia Commons)
What to expect?
It’s the only puncheur stage of the race and fairly easy to control, so the break only has a shot if it has enough of the non-GC stage favourites in it. Attacks from the peloton are certainly possible on the penultimate climb, though it would hardly be a surprise if everyone waits for the HTF. But even then, there should be some seconds won and lost in the GC battle.
Stage 13: Rovigo – Vicenza
Time for the fourth-hardest uphill finish in the race. In all seriousness, this is a very solid hilly stage, two-star rating or no.Map and profile
Start
A short hop east through the floodplains has landed the peloton in Rovigo. Originally a village dating back to at least the 9th century, it was fortified in the 10th century when the bishop from nearby Adria fled here amidst the Hungarian invasions. As we are just 30 kilometres north of Ferrara here, it is perhaps unsurprising that the House of Este took control here as early as the start of the 12th century. They also constructed the castle, of which the Torre Donà, which dominates the town’s skyline, remains. Sources contradict on whether the tower is 51, 60 or 66 metres high (I suspect this has to do with the loss of the uppermost part in the 17th century after a lightning strike) and whether it was constructed in the 12th or 14th century, but it’s definitely up there (quite literally) as far as medieval towers go. Rovigo and its surroundings were hit badly by flooding in the 15th century, and with the House of Este deeply in debt to the Republic of Venice, control of Rovigo was ceded to the latter in 1482. The Venetians further developed the town, but the discovery of the sea route around Africa and repeated military defeats at the hands of the Ottoman Empire sent the famed maritime republic into a decline so steep that it had no fleet to speak of by the time Napoleon extinguished it in 1797. As such, it should come as no surprise that Rovigo, too, struggled in this era.
And unlike most of the rest of northern Italy, its standing did not improve much through the Austrian period and reunification. Although certainly not comparable to the most impoverished areas in the south, Rovigo and its surroundings were a major source of emigration in the second half of the 19th century, were classified as a disadvantaged area after the Second World War and remain a backwater within the Veneto region. Much like Viadana, its main sporting heritage is in rugby, with the local team boasting 14 Italian titles, including two of the last four. Unlike Viadana, it has hosted the Giro before, most recently in 2001 when (shocker) Mario Cipollini won the sprint.
(picture by Threecharlie at Wikimedia Commons)
Route
The first two-thirds of the stage are very easy. Yes, the route traverses the Colli Euganei early on, but it only incorporates the one climb and Passo Roverello is hardly the most difficult option on offer.
After this, there is a long flat section, detouring west through the intermediate sprint in Noventa Vicentina until the foothills of the Alps are reached. The route then doubles back on itself, following the edge of the foothills towards Vicenza. Early on in this section, we have the second intermediate sprint in San Bonifacio, hometown of the late Davide Rebellin. To illustrate just how long his career was: his sole Giro stage win came in 1996.
I doubt this day is intended as a tribute, but the remainder of the stage would have been very much to the great puncheur’s liking. At sixty kilometres from the like, we enter the Colli Berici, and from here on out there are six hills to tackle. Yes, it looks like five hills on the stage profile, but the rise out of Pederiva is actually two climbs separated by 1.5 kilometres of flat. The first of said climbs is the Calto Pozzolo.
And on the other side of Pozzolo, we have the easiest of the day’s climbs, Garzola.
The descent is narrow and backs directly into the next climb, the hardest of the day: San Giovanni in Monte, known outside the Giro as La Scudelletta. The flat that follows it probably precludes any action, but having said that this is a great place to drill it if any GC riders went into said descent out of position…
Annoyingly, the aforementioned flat is caused by the fact that they’re going around rather than through the hills into Vicenza – the obvious thing to do here would have been to join the originally-planned 2020 Worlds lap and climb Via Costacolonna (1.7k at 7.1%). Instead, the next hill is the one used for the finish, Monte Berico. The Giro also had a stage here a decade ago (won by Philippe Gilbert) and it’s also hosted the last two editions of Giro del Veneto (with Dorian Godon and Corbin Strong emerging victorious).
However, no profile just yet, as it’s the final kilometres profile and we aren’t actually there yet. Instead, we have our second final circuit in as many days, and this one is pretty interesting. Aside from the HTF, its main feature is the bonification sprint in Arcugnano. The 1.1k at 8.9% section leading into it is a credible place to launch an attack, especially considering that the climb crests with just 10.4k to go, but will anhone be tempted?
Finish
The ensuing descent is fairly straightforward and gives way to 6.5 kilometres of flat, the majority of which the riders have already been down once. And then, HTF time.
Vicenza dates back to pre-Roman times and has been large enough to be considered, at a minimum, a town for over two millennia, but it would take quite some time for It to claim a place in history. Although the theatre could hold over 5000 spectators, it was fairly unassuming in Roman times. However, the city appears to have been spared of the worst of the destruction of Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages. Perhaps it was for this reason that it became both a feudal and an ecclesiastical seat after the Lombard invasion in the 6th century. After going through what is probably its lowest point with the sacking by the Hungarians in 899, Vicenza, like the other cities in the region, gradually became autonomous. However, it had powerful neighbours from all sides, and from the 12th century onwards was controlled in turn by Padova, Verona and Milano. These repeated changes were often the result of war, and thus the Vicenza area was frequently a war theatre in this era. Despite this, Vicenza continued to grow, although it never reached the heights of the cities that controlled it.
In 1404, with Padova and Venice going to war, Vicenza submitted to the latter. This proved to be an advantageous decision, as the Venetians extinguished Paduan independence and went from controlling only a small pocket of land near its lagoon to an area roughly corresponding with modern Veneto. Vicenza would be under virtually interrupted Venetian control for the rest of the Republic’s existence, and the combination of relative peace, the general wealth of the Republic and favourable treatment by the Venetian government helped usher in a golden age. The one interruption came in 1509, and was a significant one: a century of Venetian expansion was challenged during the Italian Wars by the League of Cambrai, a coalition of France, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain and the Papal States. Tensions had been simmering for some time, but the alliance was convened by the Pope when Venice appointed a new bishop to Vicenza against his will. The Republic of Venice was very nearly crushed in the early stages of the war, but turned the tide by repelling the Siege of Padova. Vicenza was then retaken after half a year of occupation. The war would continue for seven confused years in which almost every party switched allegiance at some point, but the direct threat to both the Republic and Vicenza was over. What nobody knew at the time, was that the person who would define Vicenza more than anyone else was born in the same year as the League of Cambrai. Originally hailing from Padova, Andrea Palladio rose to become the quintessential Renaissance architect as well as one of the most influential architects in history. Of the 47 Palladian villas that form part of the UNESCO World Heritage inscription, 23 are in the city centre of Vicenza, and considering Palladio’s reputation even during his own lifetime this speaks to the city’s wealth at the time.
As the Venetian Republic faded, Vicenza stagnated too, but the end of the Republic was still felt as it also put an end to Vicenza’s privileges. Perhaps it was for this reason that Vicenza was one of the cities that most strongly resisted Austria during the First Italian War of Independence in 1848, however an Austrian army of 30000 subdued the city after a battle atop our finish location on Monte Berico. The Veneto would remain part of the Austrian Empire for another eighteen years. It was spared of the worst in the First World War (despite the front lines coming relatively close), only to suffer approximately 1000 casualties and heavy material damage by Allied bomings in the Second World War. This hardship has not prevented the city from becoming one of the wealthiest in Italy, with its gold and jewellery sector being of particular note. It is also the hometown of Emanuele Sella, reportedly voted cyclist of the year by iodine tablet producers in 2008.
(picture by Sirleonidas at Wikimedia Commons)
What to expect?
It’s the only puncheur stage of the race and fairly easy to control, so the break only has a shot if it has enough of the non-GC stage favourites in it. Attacks from the peloton are certainly possible on the penultimate climb, though it would hardly be a surprise if everyone waits for the HTF. But even then, there should be some seconds won and lost in the GC battle.
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