Giro d'Italia Stage 9: Messina - Etna, 169km (let the race begin!)

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Indeed, Hitch might be right, Giro site might be wrong

And this is 100% the final climb.. so who is right? Salite.ch or Giro site?

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Ferminal's profile comes from the giro/gazzetta site. Max gradient sustained for 0.5km is 9.2%

Hitch refers to a book saying last km of climbing at >13%. Interestingly, salite.ch profile for the climb shows that figure, and also another km in the first half at >10%.

http://www.salite.ch/etna1.asp?Mapp...bef1o&dx=485&dy=330&empriseW=970&empriseH=661

We'll see tomorrow.

That's my point
I would assume they would have it right...
But who knows...

I mean, I hope Hitch's profile is right anyway, as it is better. but I doubt it.

 

[roundabout]

From the map there are at least 2 routes up Etna. One from Pedara and one further south-west from Nicolosi.

 

[Ferminal]

The Etna profile hasn't changed at all since it was announced.

The RCS profiles are the correct ones, they are the organiser after all.

http://climbbybike.com/profile.asp?Climbprofile=Etna---Rifugio-Sapienza&MountainID=2118

A couple of slight differences but more or less the same. RCS have the best profiles of any organiser, very accurate, never known them to be wrong.

http://climbbybike.com/profile.asp?Climbprofile=Etna---Rifugio-Sapienza&MountainID=2119

That is another Etna climb, which looks like the one your mag has.

Edit: DT beat me again

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

If you can not understand the idea that people are using different sources, then you are not a very open minded person.

What a strange use of the concept of open minded - deeply ironic and hypocritical - I never doubted you were using an incorrect source - I was just trying to point you in the direction of the correct one which left everyone else unable to understand you.

Meanwhile, until someone re-posted the picture, you were stuck assuming everyone else was dumbfounded by the concept of a flat km before the finish. But yes, I'm the one who can't conceive of different sources. And the idea that 1 of them is objectively true, and the others false, will no doubt now reconfirm my closed minded outlook. Oh well.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Giro d'Italia Stage 9: Messina - Etna, 169km (let the race begin!)

ETNA could make it interesting, but only Cat-1s and not so tough of a gradient. Is it just me or am I the only one expecting a little boring race?

 

[will10]

It might not be as explosive as some stages next week but there will be a big selection tomorrow.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I think something like the Alto de Aitana in the Vuelta 09, group of 5/10 men where 1 or 2 might escape out of.

 

[luckyboy]

Don't think it will be that exciting. Group of about 15 at the finish with Scarponi winning from Nibali.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

ETNA could make it interesting, but only Cat-1s and not so tough of a gradient. Is it just me or am I the only one expecting a little boring race?

only cat-1s? What are you expecting? The Giro doesn't do "hors catégorie". The only climb paying more than cat.1 points is the Passo Giau, cos it's the Cima Coppi.

Giro cat.1 = Tour HC
Giro cat.2 = Tour cat.1
Giro cat.3 = Tour cat.2
Giro cat.4 = Tour cat.3
Tour cat.4 = total waste of time for the Giro to even think about.

There are some climbs in the Giro that offer no points that would be at least a cat.3, maybe even cat.2, at the Tour.

 

[The Hitch]

only cat-1s? What are you expecting? The Giro doesn't do "hors catégorie". The only climb paying more than cat.1 points is the Passo Giau, cos it's the Cima Coppi.

Giro cat.1 = Tour HC
Giro cat.2 = Tour cat.1
Giro cat.3 = Tour cat.2
Giro cat.4 = Tour cat.3
Tour cat.4 = total waste of time for the Giro to even think about.

There are some climbs in the Giro that offer no points that would be at least a cat.3, maybe even cat.2, at the Tour.

LS. You like your climbs and your maps. WHy do some sites and my guide give a totaly different profile to the one on the gazzeta site?

Is it a different side they are climbing or what?

 

[LabMonkey]

General classment:

Weening
Sivtsov
Pinotti
Le Mevel
Contador
Scarponi
Lastras
Nibali
Kruijswijk
Serpa

Who are going to be the big movers after Etna?

 

[icefire]

LS. You like your climbs and your maps. WHy do some sites and my guide give a totaly different profile to the one on the gazzeta site?

I edited my previous post on the profiles but the activity in the thread was high at that moment and the edit went unnoticed.

It looks that there are two different roads: the one used in the race and another one starting at one of the towns the race goes through.

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showpost.php?p=518083&postcount=49

 

[Raceoftruth]

General classment:

Weening
Sivtsov
Pinotti
Le Mevel
Contador
Scarponi
Lastras
Nibali
Kruijswijk
Serpa

Who are going to be the big movers after Etna?

Only 3 of those remain in top 10 by the finish tomorrow.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

LS. You like your climbs and your maps. WHy do some sites and my guide give a totaly different profile to the one on the gazzeta site?

Is it a different side they are climbing or what?

Because there are three roads up the south face of Etna, all of which converge at one point, after which there is just one narrow route up, which climbs to over 2800m. Now obviously they aren't doing this last part. The point at which the three roads congregate is called Etna Sud, or Rifugio Sapienza.

One of these roads comes from the west of the south face of Etna, from Zafferana Etnea. The other two are relatively parallel, one directly from Pedara, and one from Nicolosi. These two towns are next to one another, and Nicolosi is higher than Pedara, so it is feasible that both routes are considered "from Pedara". The key difference is that one climbs via the Passo Cannelli, the other via Villino Platania. I believe you're looking at one climb, and the others are looking at another. As both climbs start in the same place and finish in the same place, it could be an error in the route book or a change in the course.

 

[luckyboy]

After bonus seconds, it will be..

Scarponi
Pinotti
Le Mevel
Contador
Nibali

Unless someone nips off the front in the final few kms. Hoping it won't be like this, but I think it will be a large group at the top.

 

[will10]

Only 3 of those remain in top 10 by the finish tomorrow.

I'd say five of them will still be in the top 10.

 

[The Hitch]

I edited my previous post on the profiles but the activity in the thread was high at that moment and the edit went unnoticed.

It looks that there are two different roads: the one used in the race and another one starting at one of the towns the race goes through.

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showpost.php?p=518083&postcount=49

Sorry, it only confuses me more

You say.

Nicolosi and Pedara are close to each other and the race goes through Pedara first and then through Nicolosi before starting the actual climb.

On ACF's op the profile has the race going through Pedara at 618 and then Nicolosi at 625.

So they go through Pedara then Niclosi right?

Only, this is exactly the same sequence of events my guide has. In fact it has a nice little picture of houses with the word Pedara at the bottom, then a picture of houses with the word Niclosi a few km in.

So it seems it seems the guys behind the guide know which side they are using.

Should also note that they are using a very slightly different profile to the one you posted. You had it finishing at 1915 while this one has it finishing at 1892 (which is the correct one) and so the gradients differ slightly per km.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

On ACF's op the profile has the race going through Pedara at 618 and then Nicolosi at 625.

So they go through Pedara then Niclosi right?

Pedara and Nicolosi are close to each other. There is a road that goes from Nicolosi to the Passo Cannelli, which is on the route direct from Pedara, not the one that goes through Nicolosi to Villino Platania.

Think of it like

Route A goes Pedara -> Passo Cannelli -> Rifugio Sapienza
Route B goes Pedara -> Nicolosi -> Passo Cannelli -> Rifugio Sapienza
Route C goes Pedara -> Nicolosi -> Villino Platania -> Rifugio Sapienza

I'm not sure why you would do route B, when it would be easier to go direct from Pedara and the climb would be tougher, but differentiating routes B and C is probably what the confusion is.

 

[LabMonkey]

I'd say five of them will still be in the top 10.

I was thinking about that number too - with Weening and Lastras almost certainly losing some ground.

So that begs the question, who will be 'climbing' into the top 10 on GC?

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

I can assure you hitch is wrong. I feel as certain as I was with urans weight

 

[The Hitch]

I can assure you hitch is wrong. I feel as certain as I was with urans weight

Or as certain as you were with Duarte in Ruta del Sol and Rujano here.

Also what you mean is that my guide is wrong.

Unlike you I dont make up facts and figures myself

Rather, I copy them from a source and ask others to help me work out why they are different.

 

[meandmygitane]

Gonna duplicate my post from the general Giro-thread:


"Etna - Rif. Citelli 1634m - cat.1:
The Giro counts from Linguaglossa 534m, then it's 18,0km at 6,1% (1097m altitude gain)
When I count from Fiumefreddo di Sicilia 65m to Linguaglossa 534m we can add 11,1km at 4,2%, looks like it's uphill all the way.
Then it's 29,1km (1569m altitude gain) at 5.3%, wow!
Compare it with Col d'Aubisque: 29,2 km at 4,2 % (Hors Catégorie)"

So if it this was the tour it would basically be two HC-mountains back to back with the last one being a MTF.

To sum it up: the stage is more difficult than the two climbs would led you believe! It's gonna be epic.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Yes, there is a lot mores climbing than just the 2 catagorized ascents.
Somewhere between 50-55kms, I reckon.
For the Giro, a mere bagatelle.

 

[zapata]

I have high expectations for Nibali tomorrow.