- Sep 20, 2017
- 13,639
- 25,622
- 28,180
A transitional stage through the Alps that avoids the big climbs. It would make a lot more sense if it didn’t start outside the Alps and precede another non-mountain stage.
Map and profile
Start
The overnight transfer has taken the riders back to the outskirts of Milan’s metropolitan area, and more specifically to the town of Cassano d’Adda. Located at a ford in the Adda river, it was probably founded by the Gauls and then fortified by the Romans. A castle has existed here since at least the 9th century, then belonging to the bishop of Milan. This underlines both the historicity of Milanese influence in a town 25 kilometres to its east and Cassano’s continued importance in the Middle Ages. This significance only increased with the rise of Milan, as the Adda is the first real river east of Milan and therefore also a critical line of defence, and the construction of a bridge. It is not clear when exactly it was first built, but it is first mentioned in 1158, when it collapsed under the weight of Frederick Barbarossa’s army. Coupled with the establishment of a river port, trade became significant enough for Cassano d’Adda to develop into a town.
However, the town would remain mainly notable from a military perspective. In 1259, an important battle was fought here between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. At the time, the main Ghibelline leader was Ezzelino III da Romano, who had gained control of Verona, Vicenza and Padua and, with the support of the Holy Roman Emperor, had by then ruled all three for decades as an apparent tyrant. In 1254, he was excommunicated by the pope, who launched a crusade against him. The ensuing war initially went well for the Ghibellines, until they mounted an assault on Milan. After being forced into a retreat, only part of their army had crossed the Adda at Cassano when Guelph forces arrived. In the ensuing battle, Ezzelino was fatally wounded, after which the self-government of the cities he had ruled was restored.
A few decades after this, Cassano came under direct control of Milan, when the Visconti first gained power. Over the course of the next centuries, the castle was repeatedly expanded, in addition to the construction of a new bridge. In 1705, a bloody battle during the War of the Spanish Succession claimed approximately 10000 casualties – and ended undecided. The French losses contributed greatly to the Siege of Turin being delayed by a year, which mattered a lot given that it would be broken, but at the same time they had prevented the army of the Grand Alliance from breaking through. In 1799, it was the first major engagement of Suvorov’s Italian campaign we discussed on stage 12, with a number of casualties similar to the 1705 battle (although the armies involved were much larger this time). On this occasion, the French failed to hold the crossing, starting their run of Northern Italian defeats that would last all the way to Novi Ligure.
The Industrial Revolution arrived early by Italian standards in Cassano, mainly because the river was suitable for hydroelectric power. The energy was used to supply a sizeable, now-defunct linen and hemp factory. Although there is a large power plant today, its economic function has mostly shifted towards being a commuter town. In cycling, Cassano d’Adda is mostly notable as the birthplace of Gianni Motta, who is most famous for his 1966 Giro victory but also accumulated a Giro di Lombardia, a Tour de Suisse, two Tour de Romandie and a joint record four Tre Valle Varesine wins. It has hosted the Giro once before: in 2016, Roger Kluge took the biggest win of his career with a finisseur move
(picture by Fabexplosive at Wikimedia Commons)
The route
The first part of the route is spent bypassing the greater Bergamo area until the Po valley gives way to the Alps. The foot of the mountains is reached after 45 kilometres in Sarnico, on the shores of the Lago d’Iseo. We are now in the Franciacorta region, notable for its wine, but don’t exactly linger. After 11 kilometres, the route leaves the lake in the town of Iseo itself and starts to climb. Passo dei Tre Termini is hardly a monster, but still the toughest climb of the day. A lot of stage hunters will be hoping the break goes here.
A fairly easy descent takes the peloton into the Val Trompia, where they have a short stretch of uphill false flat before taking on another cat. 3, Cocca di Lodrino. At 7.9k at 4.2%, it’s arguably overcategorised.
The next descent is more technical, leading into the Valle Sabbia. Its most notable feature is the Lago d’Idro, the least touristic of the great Lombard lakes. Just to its north, we cross the border with Trentino, and while we stay in the same valley, it is referred to as the Valle del Chiese from this point onward. Sadly, there isn’t really a difficult way out of this valley in the direction of Andalo, and in fact the route taken to Sella di Bondo is not even categorised. Instead, there is an intermediate sprint in Roncone, at the point where the climb more or less ends. Somehow, despite the fact that this is the main route, there is no profile that matches to be found anywhere. The first 3.0k are identical to the first 3.0k of the profile below, after which it’s another 2.1k at 4.4% until the sprint. Overall, it’s 5.1k at 4.8%.
An easy descent takes the riders into Tione di Trento. There is no real valley, as the way out of town is the balcony road up to Stenico. After a long false flat, the little climb on the other side of this village is 2.0k at 4.7%. A similarly brief descent backs into the start of the long, multi-stepped climb up to Andalo-Lever. The uncategorised part is the section from 17.8k to 5.0k on the profile below, containing the 3.0k at 6.3% climb to San Lorenzo Dorsino.
Only after this does the official KOM start. The bonus sprint is 3.65k into the profile below.
Finish
The descent off this final KOM is pretty straightforward. Halfway through, we pick up the route of the much better-designed 2016 stage, a rare example of an exciting day won by Alejandro Valverde. The remainder of the route is the same as that stage, except that they’ve chopped off the final 250 metres, putting the uncategorised climb a little closer to the finish.
Although the village of Andalo dates back to at least the Late Middle Ages, it was fairly unassuming until the development of tourism in the 20th century. Today, it is popular in winter for the ski resort in the Paganella massif on the east side of town, and in summer for the Brenta Dolomites (Dolomiti di Brenta) opposing it. The Giro has been here twice – aside from the aforementioned 2016 stage, Eddy Merckx took a solo victory in 1971. In other words, whoever wins here will be in rather illustrious company…
(picture by Giorgio Galeotti at Wikimedia Commons)
What to expect?
Obvious breakaway day. Given that there are 3300 metres of elevation to deal with and that tomorrow suits a wider range of riders, the stage should be targeted especially by the attacking climbers.
Map and profile
Start
The overnight transfer has taken the riders back to the outskirts of Milan’s metropolitan area, and more specifically to the town of Cassano d’Adda. Located at a ford in the Adda river, it was probably founded by the Gauls and then fortified by the Romans. A castle has existed here since at least the 9th century, then belonging to the bishop of Milan. This underlines both the historicity of Milanese influence in a town 25 kilometres to its east and Cassano’s continued importance in the Middle Ages. This significance only increased with the rise of Milan, as the Adda is the first real river east of Milan and therefore also a critical line of defence, and the construction of a bridge. It is not clear when exactly it was first built, but it is first mentioned in 1158, when it collapsed under the weight of Frederick Barbarossa’s army. Coupled with the establishment of a river port, trade became significant enough for Cassano d’Adda to develop into a town.
However, the town would remain mainly notable from a military perspective. In 1259, an important battle was fought here between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. At the time, the main Ghibelline leader was Ezzelino III da Romano, who had gained control of Verona, Vicenza and Padua and, with the support of the Holy Roman Emperor, had by then ruled all three for decades as an apparent tyrant. In 1254, he was excommunicated by the pope, who launched a crusade against him. The ensuing war initially went well for the Ghibellines, until they mounted an assault on Milan. After being forced into a retreat, only part of their army had crossed the Adda at Cassano when Guelph forces arrived. In the ensuing battle, Ezzelino was fatally wounded, after which the self-government of the cities he had ruled was restored.
A few decades after this, Cassano came under direct control of Milan, when the Visconti first gained power. Over the course of the next centuries, the castle was repeatedly expanded, in addition to the construction of a new bridge. In 1705, a bloody battle during the War of the Spanish Succession claimed approximately 10000 casualties – and ended undecided. The French losses contributed greatly to the Siege of Turin being delayed by a year, which mattered a lot given that it would be broken, but at the same time they had prevented the army of the Grand Alliance from breaking through. In 1799, it was the first major engagement of Suvorov’s Italian campaign we discussed on stage 12, with a number of casualties similar to the 1705 battle (although the armies involved were much larger this time). On this occasion, the French failed to hold the crossing, starting their run of Northern Italian defeats that would last all the way to Novi Ligure.
The Industrial Revolution arrived early by Italian standards in Cassano, mainly because the river was suitable for hydroelectric power. The energy was used to supply a sizeable, now-defunct linen and hemp factory. Although there is a large power plant today, its economic function has mostly shifted towards being a commuter town. In cycling, Cassano d’Adda is mostly notable as the birthplace of Gianni Motta, who is most famous for his 1966 Giro victory but also accumulated a Giro di Lombardia, a Tour de Suisse, two Tour de Romandie and a joint record four Tre Valle Varesine wins. It has hosted the Giro once before: in 2016, Roger Kluge took the biggest win of his career with a finisseur move
(picture by Fabexplosive at Wikimedia Commons)
The route
The first part of the route is spent bypassing the greater Bergamo area until the Po valley gives way to the Alps. The foot of the mountains is reached after 45 kilometres in Sarnico, on the shores of the Lago d’Iseo. We are now in the Franciacorta region, notable for its wine, but don’t exactly linger. After 11 kilometres, the route leaves the lake in the town of Iseo itself and starts to climb. Passo dei Tre Termini is hardly a monster, but still the toughest climb of the day. A lot of stage hunters will be hoping the break goes here.
A fairly easy descent takes the peloton into the Val Trompia, where they have a short stretch of uphill false flat before taking on another cat. 3, Cocca di Lodrino. At 7.9k at 4.2%, it’s arguably overcategorised.
The next descent is more technical, leading into the Valle Sabbia. Its most notable feature is the Lago d’Idro, the least touristic of the great Lombard lakes. Just to its north, we cross the border with Trentino, and while we stay in the same valley, it is referred to as the Valle del Chiese from this point onward. Sadly, there isn’t really a difficult way out of this valley in the direction of Andalo, and in fact the route taken to Sella di Bondo is not even categorised. Instead, there is an intermediate sprint in Roncone, at the point where the climb more or less ends. Somehow, despite the fact that this is the main route, there is no profile that matches to be found anywhere. The first 3.0k are identical to the first 3.0k of the profile below, after which it’s another 2.1k at 4.4% until the sprint. Overall, it’s 5.1k at 4.8%.
An easy descent takes the riders into Tione di Trento. There is no real valley, as the way out of town is the balcony road up to Stenico. After a long false flat, the little climb on the other side of this village is 2.0k at 4.7%. A similarly brief descent backs into the start of the long, multi-stepped climb up to Andalo-Lever. The uncategorised part is the section from 17.8k to 5.0k on the profile below, containing the 3.0k at 6.3% climb to San Lorenzo Dorsino.
Only after this does the official KOM start. The bonus sprint is 3.65k into the profile below.
Finish
The descent off this final KOM is pretty straightforward. Halfway through, we pick up the route of the much better-designed 2016 stage, a rare example of an exciting day won by Alejandro Valverde. The remainder of the route is the same as that stage, except that they’ve chopped off the final 250 metres, putting the uncategorised climb a little closer to the finish.
Although the village of Andalo dates back to at least the Late Middle Ages, it was fairly unassuming until the development of tourism in the 20th century. Today, it is popular in winter for the ski resort in the Paganella massif on the east side of town, and in summer for the Brenta Dolomites (Dolomiti di Brenta) opposing it. The Giro has been here twice – aside from the aforementioned 2016 stage, Eddy Merckx took a solo victory in 1971. In other words, whoever wins here will be in rather illustrious company…
(picture by Giorgio Galeotti at Wikimedia Commons)
What to expect?
Obvious breakaway day. Given that there are 3300 metres of elevation to deal with and that tomorrow suits a wider range of riders, the stage should be targeted especially by the attacking climbers.
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