Giro d'Italia Giro d'Italia 2025 Stage 15: Fiume Veneto – Asiago

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Jul 28, 2022
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Easy climbs with sub 7 gradients nearly all the way and the short, punchy hill tops with 20kms to go. Stage 16 and stage 20 will imo answer the big questions about him.
Verona from the breakaway?
I wasn't expecting such a performance from Del Toro. He's like Almeida during Giro 2020.
 
Im sure even the most patriotic, mads perderson obsessed danes (if you can imagine such a thing) would be sad to see Landa, hindlet, CICCONE abondon in the manner that they have (not to mention soren krahg). And then you have the gc at this point being 90% decided by crashed and punctures. Danish people surely dont like that.
You are right, but there was not a GT in human history without abandons. So it's just your favs or other GC riders that would've crashed i guess.

It's nature of the game.

But again, you are right, that crashes, punctures and weather created difference at this Giro, not actual attacks
 
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I'll admit, part of my reason to be sad about Ciccone's abbandon is purely for selfish reasons; I have him on my team for the Giro CQ game.
But I also quite liked him ever since he that amazing interview after taking yellow at the 2019 Tour. Talking about how he had at first been disappointed about not winning the stage, and then realised he'd taken yellow.
 
Another terrible profile. On paper this should be a stage for the breakaway but with the lack of mountains we've had so far and tomorrow being a rest day, I think there will be attacks in the GC group from riders like Bernal and Carapaz.

Poels to take this one.
 
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Which one is that? San Valentino is the hardest MTF but at the lowest elevation, Tagliacozzo-Marsia is a bit higher up but significantly easier and Sestriere is actually in the high mountains, but it‘s a tempogrinder. I would count all three.
Sestriere. Those other two are in the middle mountains. A big mountain stage doesn't need to have a steep MTF. Sestriere isn't that hard in itself, but it comes after the Finestre. It's just a pity that we have to wait until the penultimate day to get the only big mountain stage.
 
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Weather should be fine. Perhaps some showers, but nothing serious.

The weather also looks good for the whole next week. So no big risks of cancelations.

It's so ridiculous how they always try to whip up a crisis situation before the Giro even begins because there is snow on a climb that will be used three weeks later like this year with Finestre. Attention seeking more than anything.
 
After yesterday I can see gc gaps, but more because people are feeling the impact of their crash, cracking with 30 riders left in the peloton. If that happens we are in for an interesting stage. But somehow this makes me even more angry they are not using a different side of Grappa. They could even use this nonsense approach to Asiago, if they were using Bocca di Forca today I'd expect absolute carnage.
 
After yesterday I can see gc gaps, but more because people are feeling the impact of their crash, cracking with 30 riders left in the peloton. If that happens we are in for an interesting stage. But somehow this makes me even more angry they are not using a different side of Grappa. They could even use this nonsense approach to Asiago, if they were using Bocca di Forca today I'd expect absolute carnage.
There will be a year we manifest Bocca di Forca into happening. But it is not this year - or any year that Vegni is RCS director.

Seriously though Asiago doesn't have any ways to approach it, but this is most clearly the worst. Which is extra impressive because they made a 220km mountain stage with the specific aim to make it the worst version possible. If they'd go 20km longer they could even go all the way around to climb Menador/Vezzena and it would actually be way better again.
 
Sestriere. Those other two are in the middle mountains. A big mountain stage doesn't need to have a steep MTF. Sestriere isn't that hard in itself, but it comes after the Finestre. It's just a pity that we have to wait until the penultimate day to get the only big mountain stage.
Is Grand Colombier also a middle mountain?

GrandColombierW.gif
 
There will be a year we manifest Bocca di Forca into happening. But it is not this year - or any year that Vegni is RCS director.

Seriously though Asiago doesn't have any ways to approach it, but this is most clearly the worst. Which is extra impressive because they made a 220km mountain stage with the specific aim to make it the worst version possible. If they'd go 20km longer they could even go all the way around to climb Menador/Vezzena and it would actually be way better again.
It's honestly incredible they've kinda done this twice in a row with a Grappa stage finishing in Asiago. In 2017 the approach to Asiago was as good as you can expect, but the side of Grappa was so sh*t that a gc situation absolutely crying to completely explode far from the finish simply couldn't. I'm still convinced Dumoulin does not win that Giro if they had used literally any other side of the climb (and I think Nibali would have been the profiteer, but that's where my very personal opinion goes into it).
 
There will be a year we manifest Bocca di Forca into happening. But it is not this year - or any year that Vegni is RCS director.

Seriously though Asiago doesn't have any ways to approach it, but this is most clearly the worst. Which is extra impressive because they made a 220km mountain stage with the specific aim to make it the worst version possible. If they'd go 20km longer they could even go all the way around to climb Menador/Vezzena and it would actually be way better again.
As a first introduction, I'd use its main (and easiest) side which should cause the least problems.
ForcaE.gif
 
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It's honestly incredible they've kinda done this twice in a row with a Grappa stage finishing in Asiago. In 2017 the approach to Asiago was as good as you can expect, but the side of Grappa was so sh*t that a gc situation absolutely crying to completely explode far from the finish simply couldn't. I'm still convinced Dumoulin does not win that Giro if they had used literally any other side of the climb (and I think Nibali would have been the profiteer, but that's where my very personal opinion goes into it).
I don't remember that well exactly, but IIRC he was dropped on the meme side while Katusha was pacing towards the top and then came back on one of the intermediate sections? If they do the Semonzo side I'm like 95% sure he loses the podium Morcuera style.

I also think Nibali mostly lost that Giro blowing himself up too hard on Blockhaus and Oropa, which is where he lost his leverage over Quintana and put himself into an impossible situation going into the final stage where he basically had to drop Dumoulin and Quintana both.
 
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