Giro io ti amo (Fantasy Giro)

[jsem94]

This is great so far, not pancake flat - in these parcours the sprinters really have to work for it and the GC guys, if the feel fresh, can actually get some time in on many of these stages.

Great stuff so far, can't wait for the dolomites.

 

[Lupetto]

Tappa 11 Sulmona – Chieti, 175 km

Last 15 kilometers
Planimetria

...before tomorrow we'll witness an italian version of the Amstel Gold Race.

Well, since in Italy it is mostly about wine, we are going to hit some of these narrow, brutal vineyard roads.

Starting in Sulmona, we don't waste any time and hit the Majella national park over Passo San Leonardo. It's not a difficult climb, but it's good to establish a big breakaway group. Riders who are not able to follow the pace here, will be in big trouble today. And yes, I mean race ending trouble. Over the next 30 kilometers, including a short counter slope, we are descending down to 100 meters altitude. Next up is the famous Passo Lanciano, where Ivan Basso started his 2006 destruction campaign. It is a long climb and you definitely have to be in top shape here.

Then from kilometer 65 to 105 we have a descent, some rolling false flat parts and an intermediate sprint in Filetto. After this part the race starts again with a total different kind of climbs. They are short and there will be some really steep parts, like you can see here, here or here.

In the city of Chieti we have a little circuit left, before the peloton or its leftovers hit the final climb to the finish line.

GPM 2a categoria - Passo San Leonardo (1282 m), 20,8 km / 4,2%
GPM 1a categoria - Passo Lanciano (1306 m), 17,5 km / 6,9%
Traguardo Volante - Filetto (km 100)
GPM 2a categoria - Casacanditella (372 m) 3,7 km / 6% (max. 16%)
GPM 2a categoria - Sant' Agata (327 m) 3,9 km / 5,6% (max. 18%)
GPM 3a categoria - Colle Spaccato (353 m) 3,5 km / 5% (max. 9%)
GPM 3a categoria - Colle dei Gesuiti (284 m) 1,7 km / 9,6% (max. 18%)
GPM 2a categoria - Bucchianico (328 m) 2,4 km / 8,6% (max. 27%)
GPM 3a categoria - Fonte Pietra (268 m) 2,6 km / 7,9% (max. 20%)
GPM 3a categoria - Chieti (305 m) 4,6 km / 4,7% (max. 10%)
GPM 2a categoria - Chieti (339 m) 3,9 km / 6,3% (max. 18%)

 

[Lupetto]

Tappa 12 Avezzano – Abbadia San Salvatore, 263 km

Planimetria

Longest stage of the race, with a hard ending. Monte Amiata had three GPM's in the Giro history so far, among others Bernaudeau and Van Impe beeing successful. So it is a long day in the saddle, should be over 8 hrs.

Traguardo Volante - Rieti (km 75)
GPM 1a categoria - Monte Amiata (1587 m), 8,7 km / 7,6%

 

[jobiwan]

Ouch!! for Stages 11 & 12.

This is fantastic!!

 

[jsem94]

260km?

That's insane! Idk if that'd fly for an actual GC, but it's great stuff. It'd be a pretty decisive climb after that many hours in the saddle.

 

[nvpacchi]

Giro 2009 went Cuneo > Pinerolo @ 262km, with Di Luca breaking away in the finale, so super long stages are not foreign to the current Giro setup.

Also great Abruzzo stages! Stage 11 is my favorite so far (a ride through Atri would have made it perfect! [but that's a bit far from Chieti])

 

[Eshnar]

Giro 2009 went Cuneo > Pinerolo @ 262km, with Di Luca breaking away in the finale, so super long stages are not foreign to the current Giro setup.

Don't forget L'aquila 2010 stage, 260+ kms...

@ thread author:
I like this thread's idea. Maybe I'll do a similar thread next week (waiting for you to finish yours)

 

[Lupetto]

Giro 2009 went Cuneo > Pinerolo @ 262km, with Di Luca breaking away in the finale, so super long stages are not foreign to the current Giro setup.

Don't forget L'aquila 2010 stage, 260+ kms...

Yes. These are two stages, I really liked. So I tried to create something similar. There have been a lot more 250+ km in the Giro over the past years and there is going to be another one in my edition. But this time a sprinters stage.

@ thread author:
I like this thread's idea. Maybe I'll do a similar thread next week (waiting for you to finish yours)

That would be great.

 

[Eshnar]

That would be great.

A month ago I created a Giro which covers all the 20 italian region with little transfers (as a challenge about Zomegnan's declaration, who said the long transfers of this year were due to his will to include as many regions as possible...) and ends in Rome (without being dull as 2009 route)

I just need to make a brief introduction to the stages, I've already got the profiles

 

[Lupetto]

Tappa 13 Arcidosso - Rosignano Solvay, 177 km

Planimetria

Not much to write about this stage, which starts from Arcidosso, near Monte Amiata. A real sprinters all-tuscan day. And they will get two more days, before we have our second rest day.

Traguardo Volante - Follonica (km 100)

 

[Lupetto]

Tappa 14 Cecina - Genova, 255 km

Planimetria

Long day again, as we try to make some kilometers northwards. Some well known ligurian passes, but 90% for a mass sprint in Genova.

Traguardo Volante - La Spezia (km 140)
GPM 3a categoria - Via di Caderone (323 m) 3,8 km / 8%
GPM 3a categoria - Passo del Termine (536 m) 5 km / 6%
GPM 2a categoria - Passo del Bracco (610 m) 10 km / 5,9%

 

[Lupetto]

Tappa 15 Sestri Ponente – Ventimiglia, 164 km

Planimetria

Before the second rest day, we'll have a ligurian coast stage with some well known roads on the menu. Starting from Genova's industrial suburb Sestri Ponente, the peloton will take the roads of Milano-Sanremo. No GPM today, but the Cipressa will host today's intermediate sprint. So there might be an opportunity to steal some bonus seconds. After Sanremo we'll have another small climb, the Colla di Sanremo. Last chance for an attack before the peloton reaches Ventimiglia, located 7 km from the French-Italian border.

This rest day will have no bigger transfer, only 50 km to the start of stage 16 in Imperia.

Traguardo Volante - Cipressa (km 120)

 

[auscyclefan94]

Too many flat stages! Give us some real climbs please!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

You do realise that those last two stages will have been the penultimate weekend? Most of the time organisers like to put on their keynote stages at weekends in order to maximise audiences (and Zomegnan has found that the audience figures for flat stage TV coverage at the Giro are chronic) - look how much of a fuss there was about the Tour putting stage 15 as a pointless waste of a stage where you only needed to watch 10 seconds, on one of the few days when anybody could watch.

 

[roundabout]

Too many flat stages! Give us some real climbs please!

It's the Giro. The very painful stuff is usually last on the menu.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It's the Giro. The very painful stuff is usually last on the menu.

2011 penultimate weekend: Zoncolán followed by Rifugio Gardeccia
2010 penultimate weekend: Monte Grappa followed by Zoncolán
2009 penultimate weekend: Bologna San Luca followed by Firenze (intermediate stage)
2008 penultimate weekend: Pampeago followed by Fedaia
2007 penultimate weekend: Bergamo (intermediate stage) followed by Tre Cime di Lavaredo

The Giro does put the very painful stuff at the end, but two sprint stages is a huge waste of the weekend, and the Giro has usually put at least some of the really painful stuff in there.

 

[Eshnar]

2011 penultimate weekend: Zoncolán followed by Rifugio Gardeccia
2010 penultimate weekend: Monte Grappa followed by Zoncolán
2009 penultimate weekend: Bologna San Luca followed by Firenze (intermediate stage)
2008 penultimate weekend: Pampeago followed by Fedaia
2007 penultimate weekend: Bergamo (intermediate stage) followed by Tre Cime di Lavaredo

The Giro does put the very painful stuff at the end, but two sprint stages is a huge waste of the weekend, and the Giro has usually put at least some of the really painful stuff in there.

Oh God how awful was 2009 route...
Can we please ignore it? (No offense to San Luca nor Firenze anyway)

 

[Lupetto]

Tappa 16 Imperia – Santuario di Sant' Anna di Vinadio, 230 km

Planimetria

Today a stage returns, that was actually scheduled for June 7, 2001. You can read here why it was cancelled. It occurred to me for quite a while, that this is a stage, that has to return to the Giro program. So here it is.

Starting from the ligurian coast town of Imperia, we hit the mountainous region between Liguria and Piemonte with three categorized climbs. This is a chance for collecting some points or getting in a break.

They better make sure to get some diesels into the break, because there is a longer flat section, before we hit the highest climb of the race. Colle di Fauniera returns as Cima Coppi and will demand everything from the riders.

Over the 20 kilometers of hard work, before they descend to Demonte and hit the final climb. 15 kilometers @ 7,5 % after 215 kilometers and then the finish in front of the Santuario.

GPM 2a categoria - Colle di Nava (941 m) 10,5 km / 6,6%
GPM 2a categoria - Colla di Casotto (1331 m) 12,6 km / 6,4%
GPM 3a categoria - San Giácomo de Roburent (1011 m) 5,5 km / 4,8%
Traguardo Volante - Caraglio (km 145)
GPM Cima Coppi - Colle della Fauniera (2511 m) 22,4 km / 7,5%
GPM Arrivo - Sant' Anna di Vinadio (2010 m) 15,3 km / 7,5%

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Oh God how awful was 2009 route...
Can we please ignore it? (No offense to San Luca nor Firenze anyway)

The 2009 route was a huge letdown (save for the awesome Monte Petrano and Pinerolo stages), but even they used the penultimate weekend better than this route, I'm afraid.

 

[roundabout]

Tappa 16 Imperia – Santuario di Sant' Anna di Vinadio, 230 km

GPM 2a categoria - Colle di Nava (941 m) 10,5 km / 6,6%
GPM 2a categoria - Colla di Casotto (1331 m) 12,6 km / 6,4%
GPM 3a categoria - San Giácomo de Roburent (1011 m) 5,5 km / 4,8%
Traguardo Volante - Caraglio (km 145)
GPM Cima Coppi - Colle della Fauniera (2511 m) 22,4 km / 7,5%
GPM Arrivo - Sant' Anna di Vinadio (2010 m) 15,3 km / 7,5%

This is a great stage and should be done again for real.

Gibo would have won that Giro by 10 minutes had that stage happened.

 

[Lupetto]

The 2009 route was a huge letdown (save for the awesome Monte Petrano and Pinerolo stages), but even they used the penultimate weekend better than this route, I'm afraid.

I have to admit, that I overlooked the weekend fact. Maybe, I should leave one mountain stage out of the last week and make the Genova stage a real tappone with climbs like Madonna della Guardia and la Bocchetta.

 

[Eshnar]

The 2009 route was a huge letdown (save for the awesome Monte Petrano and Pinerolo stages), but even they used the penultimate weekend better than this route, I'm afraid.

yes, Monte Petrano was great, and the ITT too. But all the rest was terrible.
And yes, they used the weekend better than this route

 

[Lupetto]

Tappa 17 Cuneo – Sauze d'Oulx (Istituto Zootecnico), 149 km

Planimetria

Short stage, mountain top finish.

Traguardo Volante - Villar Perosa (km 75)
GPM 1a categoria - Sestriere (2035 m) 38 km / 3,8%
GPM Arrivo - Sauze d'Oulx - Istituto Zootecnico (1855 m) 8,5 km / 9,1%

 

[auscyclefan94]

yes, Monte Petrano was great, and the ITT too. But all the rest was terrible.
And yes, they used the weekend better than this route

The 2009 route was a huge letdown (save for the awesome Monte Petrano and Pinerolo stages), but even they used the penultimate weekend better than this route, I'm afraid.

Blockhaus was also quite good. 2009 Giro as a race was very exciting imo. The 1st giro they showed in Aus and it was a thriller down to the last few stages imo.

 

[Eshnar]

Blockhaus was also quite good. 2009 Giro as a race was very exciting imo. The 1st giro they showed in Aus and it was a thriller down to the last few stages imo.

I meant the route was horrible, not the race itself, which was good (not as good as other Giros, but on average anyway)
However, this probably deserves a thread on his own