Giro d'Italia Giro d'Italia 2025 stage 20: Verrès – Sestrière, 205 km

[Froome]

A Grand Tour where the breakaway always win the mountain stages, is always a ridiculous Grand Tour.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Yates can win this Giro. Finestre is a beast of a climb (as he well knows).

Finestre is Simon's kryptonite

 

[noob]

A Grand Tour where the breakaway always win the mountain stages, is always a human Grand Tour.

oops I fixed that

 

[Boehmand]

Asgreen making everyones legs extra hurty before Finestre

 

[Boehmand]

A Grand Tour where the breakaway always win the mountain stages, is always a ridiculous Grand Tour.

It's far from a given the break takes the stage.

On a climb like Finestre, the riders in the break can easily lose 1 minute per K when the GC riders drop the hammer.

The question of course if how long they hold off dropping it - and in that respect the break may make it, but it is by no means a certainty at this point.

 

[fenns]

IDT is so young I feel he's likely to struggle on the Finestre - but not sure who has the cojones to really commit. Carapaz is likely to need 1'30" at the summit to be able to get the pink

 

[Peyroteo94]

It's far from a given the break takes the stage.

On a climb like Finestre, the riders in the break can easily lose 1 minute per K when the GC riders drop the hammer.

The question of course if how long they hold off dropping it - and in that respect the break may make it, but it is by no means a certainty at this point.

1 minute per km??? Maybe those who drop early but for example Bilbao will never lose 10 minutes let alone 18 minutes

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Masnada not even talking about racing but talking about a football match in interview

 

[Boehmand]

IDT is so young I feel he's likely to struggle on the Finestre - but not sure who has the cojones to really commit. Carapaz is likely to need 1'30" at the summit to be able to get the pink

The thing many forget about today is the altitude.

Above 2K weird things happen to the human body, and riders respond dramatically differently to performing up there.

I fail to recall how any of the top 4 have done at that altitude - but would assume Carapaz has the edge.

I would love to see Gee-whiz to go nuclear, surprise us all and take pink - because none of us expect that

 

[search]

Janssens suddenly realises he is in the breakaway on a huge mountain stage, so pulls over.

Janssen actually tends to have "much better than you'd think" kind of third week mountain-stage performances.

But maybe not today, as Groves will need him tomorrow.

 

[Boehmand]

1 minute per km??? Maybe those who drop early but for example Bilbao will never lose 10 minutes let alone 18 minutes

End of a GT at high altitude on steep gradients for 18.4K - for sure - we've seen it before in other GTs.

Obviously the mutants are not here, so it might be less, but I'd say they need 11-12 minutes at least at the bottom.

 

[Cycling111]

The thing many forget about today is the altitude.

Above 2K weird things happen to the human body, and riders respond dramatically differently to performing up there.

I fail to recall how any of the top 4 have done at that altitude - but would assume Carapaz has the edge.

I would love to see Gee-whiz to go nuclear, surprise us all and take pink - because none of us expect that

Mexico DF: 2.240 m

Del Toro is from Baja California, but his own country has high altitudes, such as the capital.

Besides, he's been training in Italy for years.

This isn't like 20 or 30 years ago, when South American riders had a huge advantage. Today, European and other riderspend months at altitude.

 

[Peyroteo94]

End of a GT at high altitude on steep gradients for 18.4K - for sure - we've seen it before in other GTs.

Obviously the mutants are not here, so it might be less, but I'd say they need 11-12 minutes at least at the bottom.

They need probably 7 minutes. Bilbao is a good climber.

 

[Potomac]

I was caught out by the early start this morning.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

How difficult is Finestre? Here's a chart with TdF cols for comparison:

 

[Cycling111]

How difficult is Finestre? Here's a chart with TdF cols for comparison:

It's very difficult but it would be more exciting if there was another mountain before.
It´s like a single-mountain stage.

 

[houtdffan]

It's very difficult but it would be more exciting if there was another mountain before.
It´s like a single-mountain stage.

I could think of a GREAT Finestre stage

St Jean en Maurienne to Sestrieres

Mollard, Galiber, Montgenevre, Finestre, Sestrieres. About 220km. Peloton may cry for their mommies at the end of that day

 

[Brullnux]

They need probably 7 minutes. Bilbao is a good climber.

Bilbao isn't riding brilliantly, though.

 

[Boehmand]

Mexico DF: 2.240 m

Del Toro is from Baja California, but his own country has high altitudes, such as the capital.

Aside from the he's been training in Italy for years.

This isn't like 20 or 30 years ago, when South American riders had a huge advantage. Today, European and other riderspend months at altitude.

My reference to Carapaz was not about nationality - but having done such stages and performed.

How your body reacts above 2K is not really something you can train effectively, it's mostly about genetics - for instance Vingegaard has those genes despite having lived his entire life in a flat country.

 

[Brullnux]

It's very difficult but it would be more exciting if there was another mountain before.
It´s like a single-mountain stage.

Genuinely I think some people will never be happy.

 

[Boehmand]

They need probably 7 minutes. Bilbao is a good climber.

Normally yes, but he hasn't been this GT.

I'd like to see him take it, but he does not seem to be at his best.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

They need probably 7 minutes. Bilbao is a good climber.

He isn't in great shape though, so he will likely get dropped and then lose 18 minutes.

 

[Red Rick]

How your body reacts above 2K is not really something you can train effectively

Then why does every single alpine climber do camps to adapt to altitude.

 

[Boehmand]

The watt monster is still going - still with the peloton strung out single file behind him - he truly is back

 

[Potomac]

How difficult is Finestre? Here's a chart with TdF cols for comparison:

Are the lines best fit curves for Cat 1 , cat 2 etc?