- Jul 8, 2017
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Here we go again, back in the mountains for the last 2 decisive stages.
Thanks to DE for making out lives easier.
The most difficult stage if we go solely off of elevation gain, but the gradients are less than stellar. Will the GC riders be tempted anyway or are all eyes on Finestre by this point?
Map and profile
Start
The final mountain bloc starts in Biella, perhaps fittingly located at the foot of the Alps. Although founded in the 10th century, for centuries it was no more than a modest hilltop town, with a village located directly below it at the very tip of the Po valley. In the late 18th century, Biella became the seat of a bishopric and the new cathedral was constructed in the village. This was the start of the city centre being shifted to the lower town, a process that truly accelerated with the development of the wool industry in the post-Napoleonic era. The next century would see massive economic and population growth, but also the severe social deprivation synonymous with Industrial Revolution-era boom areas. And as with most such boom areas, recent decades have been difficult with the closure of many plants. However, Biella does retain the advantage of being more suitable for tourism than most of its peers, profiting especially from the sanctuaries (and of course famous cycling climb) at Oropa. Of course, most of its cycling heritage is therefore up the mountain, but this will still be the eighth Giro to either start or finish in the town itself. The most recent instance was in 2021, for a hilly stage to Canale won by Taco van der Hoorn, although of course Oropa featured last year.
(picture by Michael Musto at Wikimedia Commons)
Route
For the first time since stage 7, we have an uphill start, and apparently that was exciting enough to warrant an official profile. Croce Serra isn’t too hard, and thus it would not be a surprise if the break ends up going further on in the stage.
The descent is moderately technical, and takes us into what is geographically already the Aosta Valley. However, the official is about ten kilometres down the road, right before the intermediate sprint in Pont-Saint-Martin. As you can tell from the name, this area has not always been Italian, and both French and (especially) the Valdôtain dialect remain widely spoken in the valley. After passing the spectacular fortifications at Bard, we hit the hardest climb of the day, Col Tzecore. It is also the toughest climb that could have featured in the decisive portion of the stage, so it’s a shame to see it kind of wasted.
The ensuing descent is the most technical of the day. The valley section that follows it contains the second intermediate sprint in Châtillon, then the stage turns into something that isn’t quite tempogrinder bonanza (the gradients aren’t low enough), but still far from ideal for solo riders. First up is the Col Saint-Pantaléon, more commonly seen on the way to Cervinia.
The plus side of the second half of the stage is that there is very little flat between the climbs. The tiny valley section is used for the bonification sprint in Saint-Vincent, then it’s back up the same mountain Tzecore is located on, only this time we end up a couple of kilometres to the north on Col de Joux.
There is one more climb after that, the easy Antagnod. Having said that, the average gradient does mask the fact that the climb is somewhat irregular, and therefore might just form a final launchpad.
Finish
The final climb is located just five kilometres from the line, and most of those are downhill. Once again, there is a 90-degree turn at 100 metres from the line, I really don’t get why this keeps happening on the mountain stages this year…
Located in the Val d’Ayas, Champoluc is one of the richest villages in Italy, a fact that can be attributed almost entirely to tourism and second homes. Despite the mountains to its north being among the highest in the Alps (both the Matterhorn and the Monte Rosa are nearby), it was among the valleys settled by the Walser people from Valais in the second half of the Middle Ages. However, unlike some of the other valleys in northwest Italy, it does not appear to have become germanised, probably because it was long since inhabited. Today, the extreme altitude of the mountains is mainly a boon: the landscapes are spectacular even by Alpine standards and the favourable orography means the area receives unusually high amounts of snowfall. For this reason, the Monterosa ski area (of which Champoluc is a part) is best known as one of the leading destinations for ski touring in the Alps. It has never hosted the Giro before.
What to expect?
It depends on the race situation. The most likely scenario is that GC action is limited to the final section of Antagnod at best, but long-range attacks cannot be ruled out. This is also the last good breakaway opportunity, which should help the first part of the stage.
Thanks to DE for making out lives easier.
The most difficult stage if we go solely off of elevation gain, but the gradients are less than stellar. Will the GC riders be tempted anyway or are all eyes on Finestre by this point?
Map and profile
Start
The final mountain bloc starts in Biella, perhaps fittingly located at the foot of the Alps. Although founded in the 10th century, for centuries it was no more than a modest hilltop town, with a village located directly below it at the very tip of the Po valley. In the late 18th century, Biella became the seat of a bishopric and the new cathedral was constructed in the village. This was the start of the city centre being shifted to the lower town, a process that truly accelerated with the development of the wool industry in the post-Napoleonic era. The next century would see massive economic and population growth, but also the severe social deprivation synonymous with Industrial Revolution-era boom areas. And as with most such boom areas, recent decades have been difficult with the closure of many plants. However, Biella does retain the advantage of being more suitable for tourism than most of its peers, profiting especially from the sanctuaries (and of course famous cycling climb) at Oropa. Of course, most of its cycling heritage is therefore up the mountain, but this will still be the eighth Giro to either start or finish in the town itself. The most recent instance was in 2021, for a hilly stage to Canale won by Taco van der Hoorn, although of course Oropa featured last year.
(picture by Michael Musto at Wikimedia Commons)
Route
For the first time since stage 7, we have an uphill start, and apparently that was exciting enough to warrant an official profile. Croce Serra isn’t too hard, and thus it would not be a surprise if the break ends up going further on in the stage.
The descent is moderately technical, and takes us into what is geographically already the Aosta Valley. However, the official is about ten kilometres down the road, right before the intermediate sprint in Pont-Saint-Martin. As you can tell from the name, this area has not always been Italian, and both French and (especially) the Valdôtain dialect remain widely spoken in the valley. After passing the spectacular fortifications at Bard, we hit the hardest climb of the day, Col Tzecore. It is also the toughest climb that could have featured in the decisive portion of the stage, so it’s a shame to see it kind of wasted.
The ensuing descent is the most technical of the day. The valley section that follows it contains the second intermediate sprint in Châtillon, then the stage turns into something that isn’t quite tempogrinder bonanza (the gradients aren’t low enough), but still far from ideal for solo riders. First up is the Col Saint-Pantaléon, more commonly seen on the way to Cervinia.
The plus side of the second half of the stage is that there is very little flat between the climbs. The tiny valley section is used for the bonification sprint in Saint-Vincent, then it’s back up the same mountain Tzecore is located on, only this time we end up a couple of kilometres to the north on Col de Joux.
There is one more climb after that, the easy Antagnod. Having said that, the average gradient does mask the fact that the climb is somewhat irregular, and therefore might just form a final launchpad.
Finish
The final climb is located just five kilometres from the line, and most of those are downhill. Once again, there is a 90-degree turn at 100 metres from the line, I really don’t get why this keeps happening on the mountain stages this year…
Located in the Val d’Ayas, Champoluc is one of the richest villages in Italy, a fact that can be attributed almost entirely to tourism and second homes. Despite the mountains to its north being among the highest in the Alps (both the Matterhorn and the Monte Rosa are nearby), it was among the valleys settled by the Walser people from Valais in the second half of the Middle Ages. However, unlike some of the other valleys in northwest Italy, it does not appear to have become germanised, probably because it was long since inhabited. Today, the extreme altitude of the mountains is mainly a boon: the landscapes are spectacular even by Alpine standards and the favourable orography means the area receives unusually high amounts of snowfall. For this reason, the Monterosa ski area (of which Champoluc is a part) is best known as one of the leading destinations for ski touring in the Alps. It has never hosted the Giro before.
What to expect?
It depends on the race situation. The most likely scenario is that GC action is limited to the final section of Antagnod at best, but long-range attacks cannot be ruled out. This is also the last good breakaway opportunity, which should help the first part of the stage.
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