- Sep 20, 2017
- 13,654
- 25,669
- 28,180
The sole time trial in the race is one that will have the specialists salivating. Not only is it long by current standards, it’s also almost completely flat.
Map and profile
Start
The riders roll of the ramp in Viareggio, yet another town that pops up constantly the past few years, and thus I’m left recycling more old material than a washed-up pop star.
I used a picture of the town last year, so I figured I’d show a glimpse of the carnival this year (picture by Andrea Mazzi Viareggio at Wikimedia Commons)
The route
The start and finish are barely more than 20 kilometres apart, and the area it runs through is quite urbanised. In modern times, that’s often a recipe for a TT that’s far too short, but RCS have put in the effort to make a more substantial route. The first 16 kilometres, until just after the first time check, are an out-and-back towards the beach on the outskirts of Torre del Lago Puccini, going as far as possible until the road dead-ends. Most of this section is on a normal-width two-lane road, something the out-and-out specialists will be mindful of with regards to their minute man.
The route then heads into Lido di Camaiore, which for many years now has hosted the start of the Tirreno. Indeed, the next section will be familiar to all riders who have raced the Tirreno in recent years, as it is used in the opening TT of that race. The next coastal town is Forte dei Marmi, a fairly posh seaside resort that features the second time check. It is the birthplace of Queen Paola of Belgium, the queen consort between 1993 and 2013; the noble house she was born into originated as the earls of Catanzaro, which the race visited one week prior to this stage.
Finish
The next town over is Massa itself. The city centre is located inland, and initially the route heads in that direction, up the little bump in the profile (which actually averages 1%) and towards the final time check, conveniently placed at 3.6k to go to rob the finish of any tension. However, the riders will then double back on themselves (thankfully, the road is pretty wide this time) to finish in the newer seaside resort part of town.
Although there was a small town here during the Roman era, the history of Massa starts in earnest in the High Middle Ages. In the 10th century, a castle was built on the Rocca Malaspina, overlooking what is now the town centre. This castle became the seat of the Marquisate of Massa, which at its peak also ruled Corsica. However, the power of the old feudal structures was starting to weaken, and in the 12th century, Massa (now without Corsica) came in the control of Lucca, one of the powerful independent city-states in the region. Despite this, the marquisate survived, and Lucca’s power was not unassailable – in fact, it lost its independence for a few decades in the 13th century. In the 14th century, the powerful Malaspina family gained control of the marquisate, and when they purchased the lordship of neighbouring Carrara in 1473, the foundation of a small independent state was laid. Although it remained a marquisate for the time being this state is known by the state it was later elevated to – the Duchy of Massa and Carrara.
Massa and Carrara was a small state even by the standards of then-fragmented Italy, but its rulers proved adept at managing the murky waters of noble international politics. When the ruling Malaspina branch died out in the male line in 1519, the female heir married into the family of the ruling pope. In addition, Massa and Carrara usually took care to ally itself with the powerful Habsburgs, who in their capacity as Holy Roman Emperors elevated the marquisate to a principality in 1568 and then to a duchy in 1664. Moreover, the duchy could rely economically on Carrara marble, which was already prized in Roman times (the Pantheon is one of many buildings constructed with it). Massa itself benefited from both liberal trade policies and heavy investment by its rulers, developing into a sizeable town.
In the 18th century, the history of the duchy became entangled with that of Modena and Reggio, when the reigning duchess of Massa and Carrara married the reigning duke of Modena and Reggio. Under the laws of both duchies, their sole surviving child, Maria Beatrice, was only allowed to inherit Massa and Carrara. In the fashion of European nobility, she then married the minor Habsburg who had inherited Modena and Reggio in her place. This marriage did produce an adult son, and when Maria Beatrice regained control of her duchy after the Napoleonic Wars, she ceded them to her son. After her death in 1829, Massa and Carrara was formally annexed by Modena and Reggio. With that, Massa’s odd status of independence was over, three decades sooner than it would otherwise have been. The legacy of the old duchy lives on today in the province of Massa-Carrara, which roughly occupies the same area and retains Massa as its administrative capital.
Partially because of this administrative status, partially as a result of the railway opening in 1862, and partially thanks to the rise of seaside tourism, Massa started to grow quite rapidly after Italian unification, growing at a consistent rate from 15000 to 65000 inhabitants by 1981 (since then, population growth has stagnated). Much like Viareggio, it suffered heavily during the Second World War – both towns were located close to the Gothic Line, the final line of defence drawn up by the Nazis in August 1944, and the Tyrrhenian side of the front barely shifted until Germany collapsed completely (mainly because the fighting was concentrated on the Adriatic side).
Modern Massa still relies strongly on its tourism and its marble industry (although employment in the latter has declined significantly). The Giro has been here three times before, always in the coastal resort (and until now under the name Marina di Massa) and most recently for a Cipollini-won flat stage in 1996.
(picture by Davide Papalini at Wikimedia Commons)
What to expect?
A very fast time trial with nowhere to hide for the more one-dimensional GC riders. And given how many of those there are this year, a pan-flat route that should take the winner about 47 minutes (give or take a bit depending on the weather) will do some real damage.
Map and profile
Start
The riders roll of the ramp in Viareggio, yet another town that pops up constantly the past few years, and thus I’m left recycling more old material than a washed-up pop star.
I used a picture of the town last year, so I figured I’d show a glimpse of the carnival this year (picture by Andrea Mazzi Viareggio at Wikimedia Commons)
The route
The start and finish are barely more than 20 kilometres apart, and the area it runs through is quite urbanised. In modern times, that’s often a recipe for a TT that’s far too short, but RCS have put in the effort to make a more substantial route. The first 16 kilometres, until just after the first time check, are an out-and-back towards the beach on the outskirts of Torre del Lago Puccini, going as far as possible until the road dead-ends. Most of this section is on a normal-width two-lane road, something the out-and-out specialists will be mindful of with regards to their minute man.
The route then heads into Lido di Camaiore, which for many years now has hosted the start of the Tirreno. Indeed, the next section will be familiar to all riders who have raced the Tirreno in recent years, as it is used in the opening TT of that race. The next coastal town is Forte dei Marmi, a fairly posh seaside resort that features the second time check. It is the birthplace of Queen Paola of Belgium, the queen consort between 1993 and 2013; the noble house she was born into originated as the earls of Catanzaro, which the race visited one week prior to this stage.
Finish
The next town over is Massa itself. The city centre is located inland, and initially the route heads in that direction, up the little bump in the profile (which actually averages 1%) and towards the final time check, conveniently placed at 3.6k to go to rob the finish of any tension. However, the riders will then double back on themselves (thankfully, the road is pretty wide this time) to finish in the newer seaside resort part of town.
Although there was a small town here during the Roman era, the history of Massa starts in earnest in the High Middle Ages. In the 10th century, a castle was built on the Rocca Malaspina, overlooking what is now the town centre. This castle became the seat of the Marquisate of Massa, which at its peak also ruled Corsica. However, the power of the old feudal structures was starting to weaken, and in the 12th century, Massa (now without Corsica) came in the control of Lucca, one of the powerful independent city-states in the region. Despite this, the marquisate survived, and Lucca’s power was not unassailable – in fact, it lost its independence for a few decades in the 13th century. In the 14th century, the powerful Malaspina family gained control of the marquisate, and when they purchased the lordship of neighbouring Carrara in 1473, the foundation of a small independent state was laid. Although it remained a marquisate for the time being this state is known by the state it was later elevated to – the Duchy of Massa and Carrara.
Massa and Carrara was a small state even by the standards of then-fragmented Italy, but its rulers proved adept at managing the murky waters of noble international politics. When the ruling Malaspina branch died out in the male line in 1519, the female heir married into the family of the ruling pope. In addition, Massa and Carrara usually took care to ally itself with the powerful Habsburgs, who in their capacity as Holy Roman Emperors elevated the marquisate to a principality in 1568 and then to a duchy in 1664. Moreover, the duchy could rely economically on Carrara marble, which was already prized in Roman times (the Pantheon is one of many buildings constructed with it). Massa itself benefited from both liberal trade policies and heavy investment by its rulers, developing into a sizeable town.
In the 18th century, the history of the duchy became entangled with that of Modena and Reggio, when the reigning duchess of Massa and Carrara married the reigning duke of Modena and Reggio. Under the laws of both duchies, their sole surviving child, Maria Beatrice, was only allowed to inherit Massa and Carrara. In the fashion of European nobility, she then married the minor Habsburg who had inherited Modena and Reggio in her place. This marriage did produce an adult son, and when Maria Beatrice regained control of her duchy after the Napoleonic Wars, she ceded them to her son. After her death in 1829, Massa and Carrara was formally annexed by Modena and Reggio. With that, Massa’s odd status of independence was over, three decades sooner than it would otherwise have been. The legacy of the old duchy lives on today in the province of Massa-Carrara, which roughly occupies the same area and retains Massa as its administrative capital.
Partially because of this administrative status, partially as a result of the railway opening in 1862, and partially thanks to the rise of seaside tourism, Massa started to grow quite rapidly after Italian unification, growing at a consistent rate from 15000 to 65000 inhabitants by 1981 (since then, population growth has stagnated). Much like Viareggio, it suffered heavily during the Second World War – both towns were located close to the Gothic Line, the final line of defence drawn up by the Nazis in August 1944, and the Tyrrhenian side of the front barely shifted until Germany collapsed completely (mainly because the fighting was concentrated on the Adriatic side).
Modern Massa still relies strongly on its tourism and its marble industry (although employment in the latter has declined significantly). The Giro has been here three times before, always in the coastal resort (and until now under the name Marina di Massa) and most recently for a Cipollini-won flat stage in 1996.
(picture by Davide Papalini at Wikimedia Commons)
What to expect?
A very fast time trial with nowhere to hide for the more one-dimensional GC riders. And given how many of those there are this year, a pan-flat route that should take the winner about 47 minutes (give or take a bit depending on the weather) will do some real damage.
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