- Sep 1, 2010
- 1,526
- 372
- 11,180
Stage 20, Sutrio - Monte Zoncolan, 41 km (TT)
A very divided stage on offer. First 30 kilometres are flat or even downhill. Finally a climb up to Monte Zoncolan. Every cycling fan knows how tough that climb is.
It makes a very big challenge for the riders. Some riders may push too hard on the flat part and be out of energy in the final climb. Some riders may took the early section too easy.
It may be likely that riders will swap bikes during the stage, using time trial bike in the beginning and then changing to road bike for the climb.
The time between final two splits will give 1st category mountain points.
A very divided stage on offer. First 30 kilometres are flat or even downhill. Finally a climb up to Monte Zoncolan. Every cycling fan knows how tough that climb is.
It makes a very big challenge for the riders. Some riders may push too hard on the flat part and be out of energy in the final climb. Some riders may took the early section too easy.
It may be likely that riders will swap bikes during the stage, using time trial bike in the beginning and then changing to road bike for the climb.
The time between final two splits will give 1st category mountain points.
- Mar 24, 2011
- 10,524
- 1,923
- 25,680
Re: Re:
With this in mind, I'm thinking that we judges should probably publish the votes for stage 21 on Monday, and then have a day more to evaluate the whole routes, and publish the overall votes on Tuesday. You know, for the sake of the show
(and at least I need to have more time... it will be extremely complicated to judge everything)
Well, the final vote will give everybody a bucketload of points, so this will most likely resolve with a bunch sprint I guess.Libertine Seguros said:
With this in mind, I'm thinking that we judges should probably publish the votes for stage 21 on Monday, and then have a day more to evaluate the whole routes, and publish the overall votes on Tuesday. You know, for the sake of the show
(and at least I need to have more time... it will be extremely complicated to judge everything)Giro di Barmaher
Stage 20 Ivrea to Pila 199km
The final road stage of this Giro. And the second mountain-top finish. Along with the second Dolomites stage, this is one of the twin queen stages. This stage visits what I see as an underused part of Italy. The Aosta Valley offers many serious climbs, some ski stations for high finishes and most importantly, even a novice like me finds it easy to link together climbs without too much flat in between.
Riders will be transferred up the motorway from Turin to the stage start in Ivrea. They can leave their phone chargers and dirty magazines in the hotel, as they will be back to Turin tonight. A savage run of climbs awaits the bunch, before a finish in Pila. Pila has hosted the Giro before, and is the kind of finish that should be used more in Giri. The climb more or less starts in a major town, so it will be easy for spectators to get there. The ideal amphitheatre for the last Saturday of a major tour. We have a short ITT tomorrow, but I don’t think it will affect today’s stage too much. If you are in top form, you can grab pink today, or put your opponents out of commission.
Climbs
Cat 1 Colle di Joux. 1631m altitude. 22.5km @ 5.6%
Cat 1 Colle di Saint Panthaleon 1640m altitude. 17km @ 6.6%
Cat 1 Saint Barthelemy 1644m altitude. 18.1km @ 6.2%
Cat 2 Lin-Noir 1424m altitude. 11km @ 7.5%
Cat 1 Pila 1853m altitude. 17km @ 7.1%
Whew!
Ivrea is situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley (part of the medieval Via Francigena), it straddles the Dora Baltea and is regarded as the centre of the Canavese area. Ivrea lies in a basin that in prehistoric times formed a great lake. Today a number of five smaller lakes — Sirio, San Michele, Pistono, Nero and Campagna — are found in the area around the town. During the 20th century its primary claim to fame was as the base of operations for Olivetti, a manufacturer of typewriters, mechanical calculators and, later, computers. The Olivetti company no longer has an independent existence, though its name still appears as a registered trademark on office equipment manufactured by others. Most recently in the Giro, Benat Intxausti won a 2-up spint in a stage in 2013.
Riders will have a 30km northward ride in the valley before they hit the first climb of the day. The Colle di Joux was a staple in Giri in the 60s and 70s. Looking back through the annals, it has never been a particularly pivotal climb, such as the last time it was used when Amador won a stage with the Joux in 2012. Once again, I would expect this to be a leg softener. Nearby, I could have used the Tzecore, which has steeper ramps, but I would prefer to save a climb like that for a Giro stage where it is decisive. Instead, we have the Joux, which is a long, punishing drag with a flat section in the middle.
After a fast descent, there is not much chance for a rest. The road will point upwards again, for another bruiser. This is the Saint-Panthaleon, which sees over 1100m of vertical gain over 17 kilometres. This climb was used in this year’s Giro. Movistar seem to love this area; Visconti was the first man over the top of this col, in a stage where Aru nabbed a minute over Contador. A bit more exciting was during this climb in 1997, when Tonkov marked Leblanc while Gotti sailed off into the sunset . Gotti effectively won the Giro that day.
No time for messing around. Another climb is coming, And yes, you’ve guessed it. Another long, punishing grinder. Quintana and Aru would be in their element in this stage. What would you like, Nairo? Multi-climb stage in the last week of a Grand Tour without too many steep pitches. You got it! Again, this climb was scaled by Visconti in the Giro this spring. Libertine will probably tell me it has been used multiple other times, but I can just see it this year.
But let’s not downplay this climb. The first 7km at over 8%, and totalling 16km at nearly 7%.
Riders will ride into Aosta for a TV sprint. Rather than head to Pila, we are going to detour to the Lin-Noir, as it links slightly better with the final climb, and also has some nasty gradients near the top. I bet you a dollar to doughnuts that there will be some GC action in the final 5km of this climb, which averages 8.4%, with section over 14%.
Another technical descent follows. Then around 6km of flat.
Then we have the highlight of my Giro, the climb to Pila ski station for the stage finish.
Pila has a special place in my heart. As a kid, I grew up idolising Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche. And Pila was the climb where Roche sealed the Giro, the first and most stressful leg of his triple crown in 1987. It was the twenty-first stage to Pila that year that Roche showed he was deserving of the maglia rosa when he, Robert Millar and Marino Lejarreta broke clear and arrived in Pila over two minutes ahead of the first group of chasers. Here you can see Roche climbing this ascent 28 years ago.
It is a long, tough climb with no real flat sections. I have tried to make this Giro as humane as possible. You may recall this is only my second MTF, and only my fourth really tough mountain stage (one in the Apennines, Zoncolan and one in the Dolomites). But when this Giro hits hard, it will really smack the riders in the mouth. Riders are going to be spread across the road like in 1987. I would say the chances of riders riding defensively for a short (but tough enough) ITT tomorrow is minimal.
Woman of the Stage
La Mugnaia, Ivrea.
Ivrea hosts the Battle of the Oranges every February, and is a festival which includes a tradition of throwing of oranges between organized groups. It is the largest food fight in Italy. One of the citizens is elected Mugnaia, and is dressed as shown in the picture above. Legend has it that a miller's daughter (la "Mugnaia") called Violetta once refused to accept the "right" of the local duke to spend a night with each newlywed woman and cut his head off.
The core celebration is based on a locally famous Battle of the Oranges that involves some thousands of townspeople, divided into nine combat teams, who throw oranges at each other – with considerable violence – during the traditional carnival days: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The carnival takes place in February: it ends on the night of Shrove Tuesday with a solemn funeral. Traditionally, at the end of the silent march that closes the carnival the "General" says goodbye to everyone with the classical phrase in dialect "arvedse a giobia a ‘n bot", translated as "we'll see each other on Thursday at one", referring to the Thursday the carnival will start the next year. Today the carriages represent the king's fortress and the orange throwers the revolutionaries.
Munch for the Bunch
Less than 20 kilometres to go for the bunch. And for all but around twenty of the remaining riders, tomorrow is just about getting to the line within the cutoff. So we will give them something nice as their work in Italy is almost done.
The regional food of the Aosta Valley can be described as a simple but traditional cuisine composed of hearty, creative and authentic flavours. Due to it’s position in the extreme North West of the country, the Aosta Valley mixes some of the best of traditional Italian food with a healthy dose of mountain flavours and ingredients.
Unsurprisingly, meat and cheese make a big part of the cuisine in this region, given the tradition of farming and hunting. So here you go with today’s dish, veal Ribs with Fontina cheese. This munch has an intense flavor, typical of the Aosta Valley.
Fontina is one of the most famous and ancient Italian cheeses. A parchment document from the 13th century shows how Fontina was made. It is a semi-hard cheese, made exclusively from milk from a special variety of cow from the Aosta Valley and has been made using the same recipe for centuries. The cheese must be aged for three months in caves dug out from rock, requiring constant work on behalf of the cheesemakers.
Fontina cheese slices are inserted into the meat. Then the veal chops are dipped in flour, then bread, then seasoned and cooked in abundant butter. Until they become golden crunchy. Serve hot with melted butter.
And a glass of red wine from one of the vineyards near Arvier.
Stage 20 Ivrea to Pila 199km
The final road stage of this Giro. And the second mountain-top finish. Along with the second Dolomites stage, this is one of the twin queen stages. This stage visits what I see as an underused part of Italy. The Aosta Valley offers many serious climbs, some ski stations for high finishes and most importantly, even a novice like me finds it easy to link together climbs without too much flat in between.
Riders will be transferred up the motorway from Turin to the stage start in Ivrea. They can leave their phone chargers and dirty magazines in the hotel, as they will be back to Turin tonight. A savage run of climbs awaits the bunch, before a finish in Pila. Pila has hosted the Giro before, and is the kind of finish that should be used more in Giri. The climb more or less starts in a major town, so it will be easy for spectators to get there. The ideal amphitheatre for the last Saturday of a major tour. We have a short ITT tomorrow, but I don’t think it will affect today’s stage too much. If you are in top form, you can grab pink today, or put your opponents out of commission.
Climbs
Cat 1 Colle di Joux. 1631m altitude. 22.5km @ 5.6%
Cat 1 Colle di Saint Panthaleon 1640m altitude. 17km @ 6.6%
Cat 1 Saint Barthelemy 1644m altitude. 18.1km @ 6.2%
Cat 2 Lin-Noir 1424m altitude. 11km @ 7.5%
Cat 1 Pila 1853m altitude. 17km @ 7.1%
Whew!
Ivrea is situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley (part of the medieval Via Francigena), it straddles the Dora Baltea and is regarded as the centre of the Canavese area. Ivrea lies in a basin that in prehistoric times formed a great lake. Today a number of five smaller lakes — Sirio, San Michele, Pistono, Nero and Campagna — are found in the area around the town. During the 20th century its primary claim to fame was as the base of operations for Olivetti, a manufacturer of typewriters, mechanical calculators and, later, computers. The Olivetti company no longer has an independent existence, though its name still appears as a registered trademark on office equipment manufactured by others. Most recently in the Giro, Benat Intxausti won a 2-up spint in a stage in 2013.
Riders will have a 30km northward ride in the valley before they hit the first climb of the day. The Colle di Joux was a staple in Giri in the 60s and 70s. Looking back through the annals, it has never been a particularly pivotal climb, such as the last time it was used when Amador won a stage with the Joux in 2012. Once again, I would expect this to be a leg softener. Nearby, I could have used the Tzecore, which has steeper ramps, but I would prefer to save a climb like that for a Giro stage where it is decisive. Instead, we have the Joux, which is a long, punishing drag with a flat section in the middle.
After a fast descent, there is not much chance for a rest. The road will point upwards again, for another bruiser. This is the Saint-Panthaleon, which sees over 1100m of vertical gain over 17 kilometres. This climb was used in this year’s Giro. Movistar seem to love this area; Visconti was the first man over the top of this col, in a stage where Aru nabbed a minute over Contador. A bit more exciting was during this climb in 1997, when Tonkov marked Leblanc while Gotti sailed off into the sunset . Gotti effectively won the Giro that day.
No time for messing around. Another climb is coming, And yes, you’ve guessed it. Another long, punishing grinder. Quintana and Aru would be in their element in this stage. What would you like, Nairo? Multi-climb stage in the last week of a Grand Tour without too many steep pitches. You got it! Again, this climb was scaled by Visconti in the Giro this spring. Libertine will probably tell me it has been used multiple other times, but I can just see it this year.
But let’s not downplay this climb. The first 7km at over 8%, and totalling 16km at nearly 7%.
Riders will ride into Aosta for a TV sprint. Rather than head to Pila, we are going to detour to the Lin-Noir, as it links slightly better with the final climb, and also has some nasty gradients near the top. I bet you a dollar to doughnuts that there will be some GC action in the final 5km of this climb, which averages 8.4%, with section over 14%.
Another technical descent follows. Then around 6km of flat.
Then we have the highlight of my Giro, the climb to Pila ski station for the stage finish.
Pila has a special place in my heart. As a kid, I grew up idolising Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche. And Pila was the climb where Roche sealed the Giro, the first and most stressful leg of his triple crown in 1987. It was the twenty-first stage to Pila that year that Roche showed he was deserving of the maglia rosa when he, Robert Millar and Marino Lejarreta broke clear and arrived in Pila over two minutes ahead of the first group of chasers. Here you can see Roche climbing this ascent 28 years ago.
It is a long, tough climb with no real flat sections. I have tried to make this Giro as humane as possible. You may recall this is only my second MTF, and only my fourth really tough mountain stage (one in the Apennines, Zoncolan and one in the Dolomites). But when this Giro hits hard, it will really smack the riders in the mouth. Riders are going to be spread across the road like in 1987. I would say the chances of riders riding defensively for a short (but tough enough) ITT tomorrow is minimal.
Woman of the Stage
La Mugnaia, Ivrea.
Ivrea hosts the Battle of the Oranges every February, and is a festival which includes a tradition of throwing of oranges between organized groups. It is the largest food fight in Italy. One of the citizens is elected Mugnaia, and is dressed as shown in the picture above. Legend has it that a miller's daughter (la "Mugnaia") called Violetta once refused to accept the "right" of the local duke to spend a night with each newlywed woman and cut his head off.
The core celebration is based on a locally famous Battle of the Oranges that involves some thousands of townspeople, divided into nine combat teams, who throw oranges at each other – with considerable violence – during the traditional carnival days: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The carnival takes place in February: it ends on the night of Shrove Tuesday with a solemn funeral. Traditionally, at the end of the silent march that closes the carnival the "General" says goodbye to everyone with the classical phrase in dialect "arvedse a giobia a ‘n bot", translated as "we'll see each other on Thursday at one", referring to the Thursday the carnival will start the next year. Today the carriages represent the king's fortress and the orange throwers the revolutionaries.
Munch for the Bunch
Less than 20 kilometres to go for the bunch. And for all but around twenty of the remaining riders, tomorrow is just about getting to the line within the cutoff. So we will give them something nice as their work in Italy is almost done.
The regional food of the Aosta Valley can be described as a simple but traditional cuisine composed of hearty, creative and authentic flavours. Due to it’s position in the extreme North West of the country, the Aosta Valley mixes some of the best of traditional Italian food with a healthy dose of mountain flavours and ingredients.
Unsurprisingly, meat and cheese make a big part of the cuisine in this region, given the tradition of farming and hunting. So here you go with today’s dish, veal Ribs with Fontina cheese. This munch has an intense flavor, typical of the Aosta Valley.
Fontina is one of the most famous and ancient Italian cheeses. A parchment document from the 13th century shows how Fontina was made. It is a semi-hard cheese, made exclusively from milk from a special variety of cow from the Aosta Valley and has been made using the same recipe for centuries. The cheese must be aged for three months in caves dug out from rock, requiring constant work on behalf of the cheesemakers.
Fontina cheese slices are inserted into the meat. Then the veal chops are dipped in flour, then bread, then seasoned and cooked in abundant butter. Until they become golden crunchy. Serve hot with melted butter.
And a glass of red wine from one of the vineyards near Arvier.
Attachments
- Jul 24, 2014
- 150
- 0
- 0
Giro di Stromeon Stage 20: Cuneo - Sestriere 198km
Short of time (again, frustratingly) today so don't have time to do justice to this, the final mountain stage. This is my tribute to the epic 1949 Fausto Coppi stage that Libertine mentioned earlier; we use the same passes but instead of heading down a long false flat descent into Pinerolo we are finishing atop Sestriere - while it would have been nice to do a full copy of that stage, they did attempt it in 2009 so I don't think the 100th Giro would try and do it again, and with the way stages are raced these days I don't think it would actually produce a good spectacle, with the final climb so far away from the finish - and chopping off the shallow descent reduces the stage length to something slightly more humane. In this stage, there is a much greater opportunity to attack.
We start in Cuneo, a host town to many Giro stages in the Italian Alps (and also the occasional Tour stop-off) before heading straight to France, crossing at the gradual but long Colle della Maddalena/Col de Larche. Once over the border, the Col de Vars (borderline 1st/2nd cat climb, chose 1st as it is fairly irregular) is the first climb fully in France. After these two warm-up passes, the racing will get serious, tackling the famous Col d'Izoard, with the beautiful but haunting Casse Déserte. The Izoard needs no introduction, having been a regular feature in Tours and also Giri in the past, and it will offer beautiful vistas as well as hopefully some racing. After the block of five hard days in the mountains, the riders have had two days to recover, and so this is the last opportunity to gain back lost time for those feeling strong in the third week, and it certainly can't all be gained on the last climb, unless the gap is very close. At the foot of the descent is Briançon, a regular Tour host; I thought about making this stage the Agnello-Izoard combo with the small uphill finish in Briançon, but I decided for a Coppi tribute over that, as I think it has more history. Heading east out of Briançon, we climb the Passo del Monginevro/Col de Montgenèvre, returning us back to Italy, before we tackle the final climb to the famous ski resort at Sestriere. Despite not being a difficult climb, it has entered both Tour and Giro folklore, scene of famous escapades from Riis and Armstrong among others, and of course the three mostly spectacular Finestre stages.
This stage, steeped in Giro and indeed Tour history from 1949 right up to this year, 2015, should provide a spectacular finale to the proper racing in this 100th Giro.
Cuneo:
Sestriere:
Short of time (again, frustratingly) today so don't have time to do justice to this, the final mountain stage. This is my tribute to the epic 1949 Fausto Coppi stage that Libertine mentioned earlier; we use the same passes but instead of heading down a long false flat descent into Pinerolo we are finishing atop Sestriere - while it would have been nice to do a full copy of that stage, they did attempt it in 2009 so I don't think the 100th Giro would try and do it again, and with the way stages are raced these days I don't think it would actually produce a good spectacle, with the final climb so far away from the finish - and chopping off the shallow descent reduces the stage length to something slightly more humane. In this stage, there is a much greater opportunity to attack.
We start in Cuneo, a host town to many Giro stages in the Italian Alps (and also the occasional Tour stop-off) before heading straight to France, crossing at the gradual but long Colle della Maddalena/Col de Larche. Once over the border, the Col de Vars (borderline 1st/2nd cat climb, chose 1st as it is fairly irregular) is the first climb fully in France. After these two warm-up passes, the racing will get serious, tackling the famous Col d'Izoard, with the beautiful but haunting Casse Déserte. The Izoard needs no introduction, having been a regular feature in Tours and also Giri in the past, and it will offer beautiful vistas as well as hopefully some racing. After the block of five hard days in the mountains, the riders have had two days to recover, and so this is the last opportunity to gain back lost time for those feeling strong in the third week, and it certainly can't all be gained on the last climb, unless the gap is very close. At the foot of the descent is Briançon, a regular Tour host; I thought about making this stage the Agnello-Izoard combo with the small uphill finish in Briançon, but I decided for a Coppi tribute over that, as I think it has more history. Heading east out of Briançon, we climb the Passo del Monginevro/Col de Montgenèvre, returning us back to Italy, before we tackle the final climb to the famous ski resort at Sestriere. Despite not being a difficult climb, it has entered both Tour and Giro folklore, scene of famous escapades from Riis and Armstrong among others, and of course the three mostly spectacular Finestre stages.
This stage, steeped in Giro and indeed Tour history from 1949 right up to this year, 2015, should provide a spectacular finale to the proper racing in this 100th Giro.
Cuneo:
Sestriere:
- Jul 12, 2012
- 8,975
- 591
- 19,080
Re: Re:
Yes that's a good idea Eshnar, give me an extra 24 hours to go through all routes and give a fair final value. I'm guessing the final score for Tuesday will still be out of 5 and by the usual rules?
Eshnar said:Well, the final vote will give everybody a bucketload of points, so this will most likely resolve with a bunch sprint I guess.Libertine Seguros said:
With this in mind, I'm thinking that we judges should probably publish the votes for stage 21 on Monday, and then have a day more to evaluate the whole routes, and publish the overall votes on Tuesday. You know, for the sake of the show
Yes that's a good idea Eshnar, give me an extra 24 hours to go through all routes and give a fair final value. I'm guessing the final score for Tuesday will still be out of 5 and by the usual rules?
- Mar 24, 2011
- 10,524
- 1,923
- 25,680
Re: Re:
yes, it will just be multiplied by 6 afterwardsPricey_sky said:Eshnar said:Well, the final vote will give everybody a bucketload of points, so this will most likely resolve with a bunch sprint I guess.Libertine Seguros said:
With this in mind, I'm thinking that we judges should probably publish the votes for stage 21 on Monday, and then have a day more to evaluate the whole routes, and publish the overall votes on Tuesday. You know, for the sake of the show
Yes that's a good idea Eshnar, give me an extra 24 hours to go through all routes and give a fair final value. I'm guessing the final score for Tuesday will still be out of 5 and by the usual rules?
- Jun 24, 2013
- 3,548
- 1,079
- 16,680
Giro d'Italia - Stage 20: Cuneo - Pinerolo (253 km)
Just like Libertine and Stromeon I'll use the 20th stage to honour Coppi's epic ride in 1949. It was the 17th stage that year when Adolfo Leoni started in pink 9 minutes ahead of Coppi. Coppi wouldn't leave it at that and attacked on the early slopes of the Colle della Maddalena with almost 200 km to go. He would solo all the way to Pinerolo where he finished 12 minutes ahead of his rival Bartali. He would go on to win that Giro with 23 minutes over Bartali. The stage is remembered today by la Gazetta as the best Giro stage ever.
Unlike Stromeon I'll go all the way to Pinerolo. That means that the final 50 kms will be slightly donwhill and I don't feel this will scare the riders and keep the action to a minimum. It is the final serious stage after all and thus those that are behind in GC will have no option but to go and take risks. (This stage is basically the final stage of this years Vuelta on steroids).
5 climbs:
Colle della Maddalena: 30.6 km @ 3.6%
Col de Vars: 14.2 km @ 5.6%
Col d'Izoard: 31.0 km @ 4.4%
Col de Montgenèvre: 14 km @ 4.7%
Sestriere: 11 km @ 6.9%
Just like Libertine and Stromeon I'll use the 20th stage to honour Coppi's epic ride in 1949. It was the 17th stage that year when Adolfo Leoni started in pink 9 minutes ahead of Coppi. Coppi wouldn't leave it at that and attacked on the early slopes of the Colle della Maddalena with almost 200 km to go. He would solo all the way to Pinerolo where he finished 12 minutes ahead of his rival Bartali. He would go on to win that Giro with 23 minutes over Bartali. The stage is remembered today by la Gazetta as the best Giro stage ever.
Unlike Stromeon I'll go all the way to Pinerolo. That means that the final 50 kms will be slightly donwhill and I don't feel this will scare the riders and keep the action to a minimum. It is the final serious stage after all and thus those that are behind in GC will have no option but to go and take risks. (This stage is basically the final stage of this years Vuelta on steroids).
5 climbs:
Colle della Maddalena: 30.6 km @ 3.6%
Col de Vars: 14.2 km @ 5.6%
Col d'Izoard: 31.0 km @ 4.4%
Col de Montgenèvre: 14 km @ 4.7%
Sestriere: 11 km @ 6.9%
- Feb 18, 2015
- 13,655
- 9,430
- 28,180
100th GIRO D'ITALIA stage 20: Tirano - Sulden (147 km)
The big final of the mountains of the 100th Giro d'Italia. This stage had to be a real highlight, a stage which might be remembered for years, but also a stage which isnt so brutal that it would kill every action the day before. As you can see on the profile I didnt make the stage easier by using only a few climbs but by making the stage rather short.
The stage starts in Tirano, so already the first stage with a very rich giro history. Thats because there are 4 very iconic climbs which start there or near there. These 4 climbs are Aprica, and mortirolo which were used yesterday, the passo del bernina, a swiss climb, but still it was used several times in the giro and last but not least trivigno the first climb of todays stage. But before I write about Trivigno there are still stories to tell about the city which hosts the start today. Only 4 months ago it also hosted a stage start after a mortirolo stage, but that stage went to Lugano and was won by Sacha Modolo. The last two stage finishes there were in the years 2008 and 2011, both descent finishes after a climb to aprica. 2008 we saw one of the worse mortirolo stages (worse for mortirolo circumstances) and in 2011 a...lets say interesting sprint between the riders in the breakaway.
As already mentioned the first climb goes up to Trivigno. The flat section before the start of the ascent isnt even one kilometer long so I think we can say the climbing starts right from the beginning, and in the case of this climb, climb doesnt mean "soft-pedaling up a false flat street" it means that the first 5 km's of the climb are all steeper than 10% with sections of 15%, and just to remind you: all of that starts after not even one kilometer. the rest of the pass is flatter but still anything but flat. IMO Trivigno is a little bit like the mortirolo, not because it is as difficult as the penultimate pass of stage 19, but because both are in the same location, both streets are narrow and the biggest parts of both passes are in the wood, which is a strong difference to the next two passes. Historically it surely isnt one of the most important passes of the giro. The main reason for that is that it's located between Aprica and the mortirolo, which means that there is no use for a third pass there. Moreover there is also passo di santa cristina which was used instead of Trivigo some times (like in the famous mortirolo stage from 1999), although I think its worth mentioning that both passes partially use the same streets. The descent is kind of strange because only the first half is technical while the second half is one the false flat mountain highway, called Passo Aprica.
After the descent the riders have to face the first and last flat section of the day, which starts in Edolo and ends with an intermediate sprint in Ponte di Legno. Btw, the term flat is also relative because actually these 23 km's are false flat and not really flat, so the riders and especially the teams which try to control the race wont have an easy ride on this section.
Then the next climb starts, the Passo di Gavia, one of the most iconic climbs in cycling. And I surely don't have to explain why this climb is extremely famous. With 15.5 kilometers with an average gradient of over 8%, the climb is extremely difficult, The scenery is absolutely wonderful, it seems like there are endless ways to use it and last but not least, the probably most famous giro stage ever went over the gavia. It was the 14th stage of the giro 1988 and there was a blizzard over the passo di gavia, but despite the horrible weather the jury decided to let the riders go on, over the pass. The stage caused pure carnage and while Erik Breukink was able to write history with hist stage win in Bormio, Andrew Hampsten was the first american ever to get a leaders jersey in the giro, and he also was able to defend it. Since then the gavia surprisingly hasn't caused too much action. Thats mainly because: a) the gavia is often located pretty wide away of the finish (like in this stage too) and b) because the north side (which was fe used in the last mountain stage 2010) just isnt as difficult as you might think. However the descent of the north side is still difficult and if its wet some completely crazy gc contenders could already attack. At the end of the downhill section there isnt any flat, but there is an intermediate sprint in Bormio. This town probably also is one of the most important ones for the sport if you consider that three very important passes start there, the mortirolo also isnt wide away and you can even do a mtf in Bormio2000.
But at this point of the stage nobody will think about possible mtf's in the area of Bormio because everyone will be 100% focused on the last pass of the whole giro d'italia. Everyone who only hears Passo dello Stelvio should already have a big grin in his face, and for a damn good reason. This south side I use here maybe isnt even more difficult than the climb to the gavia directly before, but the gavia is a monster too so its difficult enough. 20 kilometers almost 8%, thats a lot and thats dignified to be the last 1st category climb of the 100th giro. The stelvio is a very consistent pass, so the steepest section is only 12% steep, so in this case the length matters. The riders don't get a rest, they have to grind their way up there although they will already be tired after 3 weeks of racing and already 2 HC climbs in their legs. Moreover the pace will be extremely high, because if you want to turn around the gc and need any time you should better already attack here. I really can't see a team still controlling the race, if you consider how hard the stage has already been. What I haven't even mentioned yet ist that the Passo dello Stelvio is of course the cima coppi of this giro, which shouldnt surprise anyone if you consider that its the highest pass of italy. This fact is also a reason why the stelvio was a must for my giro, because IMO the highest pass of a country should always be included in the route, if the race celebrates some kind of anniversary (take that tdf 2013). The fact that it is the highest pass of italy already makes the stelvio historically important for the giro, but ofc. there have also been some epic stages including it. For example the last two times the stelvio featured the giro route it probably caused the best stage of the race. In 2012 Thomas De Gendt almost turned around the giro after a brave attack on the mortirolo and punished the defensive racing of purito and the other favorites. In 2014 Nairo Quintana attacked on the descent of the snowy stelvio, when most people though the race was neutralized. In fact the idea of a neutralization of a descent is complete nonsense and Quintana got a lead which he even increased on the mtf to val martello, which caused his giro victory. Talking about the descent, that descent is probably the best one in europe. Seriously I don't think a descent could be any better. Loads of serpentines (48 to be accurate), the road isnt extremely narrow, but still narrow enough to make it technically, and the surface of the street is good too. Moreover the scenery is incredible.
After the descent riders should be all over the road. Many will already drop on the way up the Stelvio, some others might have problems to follow good descenders down the pass, so at this point there should be many little groups of, lets say 2-5 riders. And there could also be a lonely leader at the front who has attacked earlier on, and honestly I don't think thats unlikely, because the last climb isnt difficult enough tho cause huge time gaps. This last climb goes up to the skiing are Sulden. Tbh, this is pretty unknown for a last mountain stage of this giro, but IMO there is already more than enough history in this stage. Moreover a simple mtf on the Stelvio would have been very lame, so I go for the maybe not so famous version, but the one which should cause better racing (and at the end that is what should matter most). Sulden is actually also a very interesting climb. The first three kilometers are very steep for a second category climb, but after that the climb gets flatter and flatter and at the end the gradients are mostly under 4%. That means that even if the race is still together on the bottom of the climb riders have to attack rather early if they want to gain time, and if they need minutes they have to attack on the stelvio (or even the gavia) anyway.
So this isnt only the last mountain stage, it is also the penultimate stage of the giro. Riders and teams will be under extreme pressure if they still haven't won anything, while the leaders of their classification will want to defend their jerseys. And ofc. the fight for the gc will be especially interesting. I am a huge fan of the "monster - easy" climb combination, especially as the last mountain stage because riders really get forced to try something big and I hope the stelvio descent will cause even more action.
ps: sorry if there are some mistakes but I really don't want to read through the whole text again
The big final of the mountains of the 100th Giro d'Italia. This stage had to be a real highlight, a stage which might be remembered for years, but also a stage which isnt so brutal that it would kill every action the day before. As you can see on the profile I didnt make the stage easier by using only a few climbs but by making the stage rather short.
The stage starts in Tirano, so already the first stage with a very rich giro history. Thats because there are 4 very iconic climbs which start there or near there. These 4 climbs are Aprica, and mortirolo which were used yesterday, the passo del bernina, a swiss climb, but still it was used several times in the giro and last but not least trivigno the first climb of todays stage. But before I write about Trivigno there are still stories to tell about the city which hosts the start today. Only 4 months ago it also hosted a stage start after a mortirolo stage, but that stage went to Lugano and was won by Sacha Modolo. The last two stage finishes there were in the years 2008 and 2011, both descent finishes after a climb to aprica. 2008 we saw one of the worse mortirolo stages (worse for mortirolo circumstances) and in 2011 a...lets say interesting sprint between the riders in the breakaway.
As already mentioned the first climb goes up to Trivigno. The flat section before the start of the ascent isnt even one kilometer long so I think we can say the climbing starts right from the beginning, and in the case of this climb, climb doesnt mean "soft-pedaling up a false flat street" it means that the first 5 km's of the climb are all steeper than 10% with sections of 15%, and just to remind you: all of that starts after not even one kilometer. the rest of the pass is flatter but still anything but flat. IMO Trivigno is a little bit like the mortirolo, not because it is as difficult as the penultimate pass of stage 19, but because both are in the same location, both streets are narrow and the biggest parts of both passes are in the wood, which is a strong difference to the next two passes. Historically it surely isnt one of the most important passes of the giro. The main reason for that is that it's located between Aprica and the mortirolo, which means that there is no use for a third pass there. Moreover there is also passo di santa cristina which was used instead of Trivigo some times (like in the famous mortirolo stage from 1999), although I think its worth mentioning that both passes partially use the same streets. The descent is kind of strange because only the first half is technical while the second half is one the false flat mountain highway, called Passo Aprica.
After the descent the riders have to face the first and last flat section of the day, which starts in Edolo and ends with an intermediate sprint in Ponte di Legno. Btw, the term flat is also relative because actually these 23 km's are false flat and not really flat, so the riders and especially the teams which try to control the race wont have an easy ride on this section.
Then the next climb starts, the Passo di Gavia, one of the most iconic climbs in cycling. And I surely don't have to explain why this climb is extremely famous. With 15.5 kilometers with an average gradient of over 8%, the climb is extremely difficult, The scenery is absolutely wonderful, it seems like there are endless ways to use it and last but not least, the probably most famous giro stage ever went over the gavia. It was the 14th stage of the giro 1988 and there was a blizzard over the passo di gavia, but despite the horrible weather the jury decided to let the riders go on, over the pass. The stage caused pure carnage and while Erik Breukink was able to write history with hist stage win in Bormio, Andrew Hampsten was the first american ever to get a leaders jersey in the giro, and he also was able to defend it. Since then the gavia surprisingly hasn't caused too much action. Thats mainly because: a) the gavia is often located pretty wide away of the finish (like in this stage too) and b) because the north side (which was fe used in the last mountain stage 2010) just isnt as difficult as you might think. However the descent of the north side is still difficult and if its wet some completely crazy gc contenders could already attack. At the end of the downhill section there isnt any flat, but there is an intermediate sprint in Bormio. This town probably also is one of the most important ones for the sport if you consider that three very important passes start there, the mortirolo also isnt wide away and you can even do a mtf in Bormio2000.
But at this point of the stage nobody will think about possible mtf's in the area of Bormio because everyone will be 100% focused on the last pass of the whole giro d'italia. Everyone who only hears Passo dello Stelvio should already have a big grin in his face, and for a damn good reason. This south side I use here maybe isnt even more difficult than the climb to the gavia directly before, but the gavia is a monster too so its difficult enough. 20 kilometers almost 8%, thats a lot and thats dignified to be the last 1st category climb of the 100th giro. The stelvio is a very consistent pass, so the steepest section is only 12% steep, so in this case the length matters. The riders don't get a rest, they have to grind their way up there although they will already be tired after 3 weeks of racing and already 2 HC climbs in their legs. Moreover the pace will be extremely high, because if you want to turn around the gc and need any time you should better already attack here. I really can't see a team still controlling the race, if you consider how hard the stage has already been. What I haven't even mentioned yet ist that the Passo dello Stelvio is of course the cima coppi of this giro, which shouldnt surprise anyone if you consider that its the highest pass of italy. This fact is also a reason why the stelvio was a must for my giro, because IMO the highest pass of a country should always be included in the route, if the race celebrates some kind of anniversary (take that tdf 2013). The fact that it is the highest pass of italy already makes the stelvio historically important for the giro, but ofc. there have also been some epic stages including it. For example the last two times the stelvio featured the giro route it probably caused the best stage of the race. In 2012 Thomas De Gendt almost turned around the giro after a brave attack on the mortirolo and punished the defensive racing of purito and the other favorites. In 2014 Nairo Quintana attacked on the descent of the snowy stelvio, when most people though the race was neutralized. In fact the idea of a neutralization of a descent is complete nonsense and Quintana got a lead which he even increased on the mtf to val martello, which caused his giro victory. Talking about the descent, that descent is probably the best one in europe. Seriously I don't think a descent could be any better. Loads of serpentines (48 to be accurate), the road isnt extremely narrow, but still narrow enough to make it technically, and the surface of the street is good too. Moreover the scenery is incredible.
After the descent riders should be all over the road. Many will already drop on the way up the Stelvio, some others might have problems to follow good descenders down the pass, so at this point there should be many little groups of, lets say 2-5 riders. And there could also be a lonely leader at the front who has attacked earlier on, and honestly I don't think thats unlikely, because the last climb isnt difficult enough tho cause huge time gaps. This last climb goes up to the skiing are Sulden. Tbh, this is pretty unknown for a last mountain stage of this giro, but IMO there is already more than enough history in this stage. Moreover a simple mtf on the Stelvio would have been very lame, so I go for the maybe not so famous version, but the one which should cause better racing (and at the end that is what should matter most). Sulden is actually also a very interesting climb. The first three kilometers are very steep for a second category climb, but after that the climb gets flatter and flatter and at the end the gradients are mostly under 4%. That means that even if the race is still together on the bottom of the climb riders have to attack rather early if they want to gain time, and if they need minutes they have to attack on the stelvio (or even the gavia) anyway.
So this isnt only the last mountain stage, it is also the penultimate stage of the giro. Riders and teams will be under extreme pressure if they still haven't won anything, while the leaders of their classification will want to defend their jerseys. And ofc. the fight for the gc will be especially interesting. I am a huge fan of the "monster - easy" climb combination, especially as the last mountain stage because riders really get forced to try something big and I hope the stelvio descent will cause even more action.
ps: sorry if there are some mistakes but I really don't want to read through the whole text again
- Feb 20, 2010
- 32,499
- 14,266
- 28,180
Stage 20: Santuario di Vicoforte - Genoa, 174km
Yes, while everybody is putting together a dramatic mountain finale, I'm afraid I'm forging ahead with an intermediate stage. The reasoning behind this is twofold. Firstly, because I wanted to visit all of the original Giro cities for the sake of tradition, meaning Genoa had to be brought into the fold; secondly, because too difficult a stage here would totally neutralize the Cuneo stage, which is just too brutal to let the bunch soft-pedal it.
I am not the only one to place a stage at the Santuario di Vicoforte, which has periodically hosted the Giro before, and is a useful stop-off within 75km of Cuneo to allow for this stage to develop. The first half of the stage is undulating, with an uncategorized (but realistically probably cat.4) climb to the village of Montezemolo - no photos here however as google can't look past Luca di Montezemolo. We then slowly head down to the Ligurian coast towards the beautiful and historic city of Genoa, but not without a couple of treks inland for climbs to remind the riders it's not over yet. Firstly, with 55km remaining, they reach the summit of an inland loop including the climb to Santuario di Nostra Signora della Guardia.
Most recently seen in the 2007 Giro, Nostra Signora della Guardia is also sometimes seen in the Giro dell'Appennino as the predecessor to Bocchetta, which is normally the decisive climb. Here, however, I felt that backing the climbs into each other like that would kill the racing in the earlier stages so have elected to return to Genoa and go straight to the finishing circuit, which is done twice and features a climb short enough to be underestimated but steep enough to give possibilities. And with 3 ascents in the last 60km, a long distance raid with the tactics played correctly if a rider with a weak support team has the maglia rosa is possible, because there will be a lot of tired legs after Monginevro-Izoard-Agnello-Sampeyre-Esischie yesterday. The final circuit is 17,5km long, starts and finishes on the Via Antonio Gramsci in Genoa, and also includes a climb to Forte Begato.
With 6km @ 7,8%, this is long enough to cause some concerns but not long enough to hurt previous racing; however it may be underestimated, because those stats don't look too imposing, however it is a very inconsistent climb, with a kilometre at 11% early on, a painful 300m at 16% with 1,5km to go and a final kilometre averaging 12,8% - certainly enough to consider a move at least on the second time through when it crests just 9,6km from the line, but if more time is needed, desperate riders with no further chances to gain time on GC will need to go the first time, when it crests 27,1km out; they who do can also gain bonus seconds in the intermediate sprint at the crossing of the finish line, so there's the temptation there. I see this as like a tougher version (much less flat on the closing circuit, climbs closer to the finish) of stage 19 of the 2011 Vuelta, the final roll of the dice for Sky to shed Juanjo Cobo. This will be more desperate than that, as Forte Begato is a less controllable climb than El Vivero, it's closer to the finish (El Vivero was at 36 and 14km from the line, here it's 27 and 10), and also here the descent is extremely technical, with 12 switchbacks varying from the fast and wide to the extremely tight crammed into the route from the summit to the line, and all the while with breathtaking scenery with the views over the coast.
Yes, while everybody is putting together a dramatic mountain finale, I'm afraid I'm forging ahead with an intermediate stage. The reasoning behind this is twofold. Firstly, because I wanted to visit all of the original Giro cities for the sake of tradition, meaning Genoa had to be brought into the fold; secondly, because too difficult a stage here would totally neutralize the Cuneo stage, which is just too brutal to let the bunch soft-pedal it.
I am not the only one to place a stage at the Santuario di Vicoforte, which has periodically hosted the Giro before, and is a useful stop-off within 75km of Cuneo to allow for this stage to develop. The first half of the stage is undulating, with an uncategorized (but realistically probably cat.4) climb to the village of Montezemolo - no photos here however as google can't look past Luca di Montezemolo. We then slowly head down to the Ligurian coast towards the beautiful and historic city of Genoa, but not without a couple of treks inland for climbs to remind the riders it's not over yet. Firstly, with 55km remaining, they reach the summit of an inland loop including the climb to Santuario di Nostra Signora della Guardia.
Most recently seen in the 2007 Giro, Nostra Signora della Guardia is also sometimes seen in the Giro dell'Appennino as the predecessor to Bocchetta, which is normally the decisive climb. Here, however, I felt that backing the climbs into each other like that would kill the racing in the earlier stages so have elected to return to Genoa and go straight to the finishing circuit, which is done twice and features a climb short enough to be underestimated but steep enough to give possibilities. And with 3 ascents in the last 60km, a long distance raid with the tactics played correctly if a rider with a weak support team has the maglia rosa is possible, because there will be a lot of tired legs after Monginevro-Izoard-Agnello-Sampeyre-Esischie yesterday. The final circuit is 17,5km long, starts and finishes on the Via Antonio Gramsci in Genoa, and also includes a climb to Forte Begato.
With 6km @ 7,8%, this is long enough to cause some concerns but not long enough to hurt previous racing; however it may be underestimated, because those stats don't look too imposing, however it is a very inconsistent climb, with a kilometre at 11% early on, a painful 300m at 16% with 1,5km to go and a final kilometre averaging 12,8% - certainly enough to consider a move at least on the second time through when it crests just 9,6km from the line, but if more time is needed, desperate riders with no further chances to gain time on GC will need to go the first time, when it crests 27,1km out; they who do can also gain bonus seconds in the intermediate sprint at the crossing of the finish line, so there's the temptation there. I see this as like a tougher version (much less flat on the closing circuit, climbs closer to the finish) of stage 19 of the 2011 Vuelta, the final roll of the dice for Sky to shed Juanjo Cobo. This will be more desperate than that, as Forte Begato is a less controllable climb than El Vivero, it's closer to the finish (El Vivero was at 36 and 14km from the line, here it's 27 and 10), and also here the descent is extremely technical, with 12 switchbacks varying from the fast and wide to the extremely tight crammed into the route from the summit to the line, and all the while with breathtaking scenery with the views over the coast.
- Jul 12, 2012
- 8,975
- 591
- 19,080
Re:
Think he's struugling for Internet, shall we postpone judging until tomorrow? It would be a shame to not score his stage 20 after all thIs time.
Eshnar said:
Think he's struugling for Internet, shall we postpone judging until tomorrow? It would be a shame to not score his stage 20 after all thIs time.
LA CENTESIMA STAGE 20 TORINO - SESTRIERE 223km
Short summary:
We have finestre on the last day for the 3rd time in the last 6 years, but for once it isn't preceded by total flat in a 160km stage.
The day starts in Torino, where yesterday finished, and we move east towards France before our first TV at Pinerolo, a very important base for cycling in the past. Then we head all the way up the Sestreire climb all 50km of it. It may only have an average of 3%, but it is the 5th longest climb in all of Europe and climbs 1666m.
We have along descent before our second TV and the biggest climb of the day, one of the hardest in Italy and Europe. 18km at 9.3%, and half of that on sterrato. The riders will have a tough tim of it here. The leader may bonk and lose time like Contador did this year, and may end up losing the Giro if a riders/a team actually organise themselves.
The riders then tackle the last bit of the climb to Sestriere they faced earlier, and may lose even more time before the finish on the High Street
Short summary:
We have finestre on the last day for the 3rd time in the last 6 years, but for once it isn't preceded by total flat in a 160km stage.
The day starts in Torino, where yesterday finished, and we move east towards France before our first TV at Pinerolo, a very important base for cycling in the past. Then we head all the way up the Sestreire climb all 50km of it. It may only have an average of 3%, but it is the 5th longest climb in all of Europe and climbs 1666m.
We have along descent before our second TV and the biggest climb of the day, one of the hardest in Italy and Europe. 18km at 9.3%, and half of that on sterrato. The riders will have a tough tim of it here. The leader may bonk and lose time like Contador did this year, and may end up losing the Giro if a riders/a team actually organise themselves.
The riders then tackle the last bit of the climb to Sestriere they faced earlier, and may lose even more time before the finish on the High Street
- Mar 24, 2011
- 10,524
- 1,923
- 25,680
Judge 1:
Brullnux T:5/5 C:3/5
Barmaher T:2/5 C:3/5
Gigs98 T:4/5 C:2/5
Billie T:3/5 C:5/5 (as a Giro tribute it can't get better than that)
Finn84 T:2/5 C:2/5 (A MTT of this caliber on stage 20 is overkill)
Libertine T:3/5 C:4/5
Stromeon T:4/5 C:4/5 (Like Billie, better technical but worse cultural due to the finish)
Judge 2:
Brullnux T:4/5 C:3/5 (top stage but just prefer Stromeons slightly more)
Barmaher T:3/5 C:2/5 (good mountain stage)
Gigs98 T:4/5 C:4/5 (really nice Gavia/Stelvio stage)
Billie T:3/5 C:4/5 (solid stage that should produce great racing)
Finn84 T:2/5 C:2/5 (not a bad ITT but perhaps slightly too long)
Libertine T:2/5 C:5/5 (not a great stage 20 but great cultural points)
Stromeon T:5/5 C:3/5 (super Sestriere stage)
Judge 3:
Brullnux T:3/5 C:5/5
Barmaher T:5/5 C:4/5 (A great final mountain stage)
Gigs_98 T:4/5 C:4/5 (a geat stage and a perfect finish for a Stelvio stage, it's just a little bit too short)
Billie T:2/5 C:3/5
Finn84 T:3/5 C:2/5 (I don't really like a MTT on stage 20, if you use 30km of false flat before the climb I'd prefer a tempogrinder and not such a hard and steep climb)
Libertine: T:2/5 C:2/5 (It's still a good stage and I understand why you created a stage like this after such a hard stage, but I just prefer the other stages)
Stromeon T:4/5 C:3/5
GC after stage 20 (Only one stage to go!!!):
Gigs 541
Libertine 534
Barmaher 533
Brullnux 520
Stromeon 515
Billie 470
Finn 406
This will be a bunch sprint (even though Gigs has a small gap)!
Brullnux T:5/5 C:3/5
Barmaher T:2/5 C:3/5
Gigs98 T:4/5 C:2/5
Billie T:3/5 C:5/5 (as a Giro tribute it can't get better than that)
Finn84 T:2/5 C:2/5 (A MTT of this caliber on stage 20 is overkill)
Libertine T:3/5 C:4/5
Stromeon T:4/5 C:4/5 (Like Billie, better technical but worse cultural due to the finish)
Judge 2:
Brullnux T:4/5 C:3/5 (top stage but just prefer Stromeons slightly more)
Barmaher T:3/5 C:2/5 (good mountain stage)
Gigs98 T:4/5 C:4/5 (really nice Gavia/Stelvio stage)
Billie T:3/5 C:4/5 (solid stage that should produce great racing)
Finn84 T:2/5 C:2/5 (not a bad ITT but perhaps slightly too long)
Libertine T:2/5 C:5/5 (not a great stage 20 but great cultural points)
Stromeon T:5/5 C:3/5 (super Sestriere stage)
Judge 3:
Brullnux T:3/5 C:5/5
Barmaher T:5/5 C:4/5 (A great final mountain stage)
Gigs_98 T:4/5 C:4/5 (a geat stage and a perfect finish for a Stelvio stage, it's just a little bit too short)
Billie T:2/5 C:3/5
Finn84 T:3/5 C:2/5 (I don't really like a MTT on stage 20, if you use 30km of false flat before the climb I'd prefer a tempogrinder and not such a hard and steep climb)
Libertine: T:2/5 C:2/5 (It's still a good stage and I understand why you created a stage like this after such a hard stage, but I just prefer the other stages)
Stromeon T:4/5 C:3/5
GC after stage 20 (Only one stage to go!!!):
Gigs 541
Libertine 534
Barmaher 533
Brullnux 520
Stromeon 515
Billie 470
Finn 406
This will be a bunch sprint (even though Gigs has a small gap)!
- Sep 1, 2010
- 1,526
- 372
- 11,180
Stage 21, Cittiglio - Milano, 120,5 km
After getting a special dispensation to move the riders more than 75 km...
The final stage in this Giro is a parade-like stage so I don't really want to write stage description, other that the stage will start ahead of Museo Alfredo Binda in Cittiglio. The five-time Giro d'Italia winner deserves this status and the final stage is great time to honor him.
I put the profile in two pieces. The reason is that it's quite hard to draw a map which goes 10 times from the same spot and even more so as they are riding into wrong direction in one-way road. The first profile is the route from the start until the first passage of finish line. At that point, there will be 10 laps remaining on the 4.8-kilometre circuit.
(the intermediate sprint will be contested on laps 1 and 5)
In my personal opinion, I prefer parade stage as the final one. I want to explain my points
* The overall win is not in question anymore, but the honor for final stage is important. It is a good motivator for sprinters to survive all the mountain stages.
* Final stage as a time trial can be exciting for the win, but in some cases it's not, if the gap is big enough. Also there are cases where the situation may be relatively close but the rider in front may be superior time trialist. Case in point Giro 2008, where Contador was four seconds ahead of Ricco going into final stage time trial. At the time when the route is published, we never know how the race will unfold.
* Every cyclist completing the race is a hero of one kind. Not having multiple hours between the first and last finisher makes it easier to understand.
After getting a special dispensation to move the riders more than 75 km...
The final stage in this Giro is a parade-like stage so I don't really want to write stage description, other that the stage will start ahead of Museo Alfredo Binda in Cittiglio. The five-time Giro d'Italia winner deserves this status and the final stage is great time to honor him.
I put the profile in two pieces. The reason is that it's quite hard to draw a map which goes 10 times from the same spot and even more so as they are riding into wrong direction in one-way road. The first profile is the route from the start until the first passage of finish line. At that point, there will be 10 laps remaining on the 4.8-kilometre circuit.
(the intermediate sprint will be contested on laps 1 and 5)
In my personal opinion, I prefer parade stage as the final one. I want to explain my points
* The overall win is not in question anymore, but the honor for final stage is important. It is a good motivator for sprinters to survive all the mountain stages.
* Final stage as a time trial can be exciting for the win, but in some cases it's not, if the gap is big enough. Also there are cases where the situation may be relatively close but the rider in front may be superior time trialist. Case in point Giro 2008, where Contador was four seconds ahead of Ricco going into final stage time trial. At the time when the route is published, we never know how the race will unfold.
* Every cyclist completing the race is a hero of one kind. Not having multiple hours between the first and last finisher makes it easier to understand.
Giro di Barmaher
Stage 21 Torino to Superga 24.6km
You ask me what I associate Italy with? More than the wines and the cheeses and the Giro and the Romans and the political scandals and the Renaissance and the culture?
Football. Calcio.
And what city is most synonymous with Italian football? For me, Turin. The home of Juventus, the home of Torino, and the hill of Superga, where one of the best football teams ever, Grande Torino perished in a tragic air accident.
This stage was always going to be a time trial up Superga. And I originally saw this as primarily a tribute to Milano – Torino, like the tributes we have had to the Giro di Lombardia, Roma Maxima, Strade Bianche and Milan San Remo. So this is the fifth recreation of a classic in the Giro di Barmaher.
But it is really the Calcio stage. We will start at Juventus Stadium. Travel due south towards the Stadio Olimpico, the home of Torino. Then back through the city of Turin, and across the bridge to Sassi. All before tackling the legendary climb of Superga.
As mentioned above, the finish will be on the hill (indeed metres from the spot) where the great Torino team of the late 40s died in a plane crash. This team were considered invincible. They won 5 successive league titles, breaking all manner of records along the way. The team made up the majority of the Italian national team at the time. But forgetting about the sporting impact, what a tragedy for so many young people to die, after lasting the second World War.
This is a tough enough time trial before Superga, given the preceding days. 20 kilometres against the clock on the last day of an ITT is tough. But then the riders have to climb Superga. The ascent to Superga Basilica climbs for 4.9km at 9.2%. A fiendishly tough way to end the day.
What a spectacle this will be for the fans. Another climb right beside a city to end the Giro di Barmaher.
Thanks for reading.
Person of the Stage
Vittorio Pozzo (born in Turin, Italy) was an Italian football coach and journalist. He is best known for leading the Italian national team to victory in the 1934 and 1938 FIFA World Cups, as well as the 1936 Olympic football gold medal and the 1928 Olympic bronze medal. Pozzo also managed the champions of the 1930 and 1935 Central European International Cup and oversaw the famous unbeaten run of the Italian side from December 1934 until 1939.
Famous for creating the Metodo tactical formation, he is the only person to guide his national team to two FIFA World Cup final wins, men's or women's, as a coach. No other coach, not even Norio Sasaki, who attempted to replicate his legacy 77 years later, could achieve such a feat.
His percentage of victories is equal to 65.97% of the played games, a record among Italian national team coaches. Pozzo became a journalist with Stampa after retiring from football management, resuming a career he had worked in prior to his successes as coach of Italy. He reported on the 1950 FIFA World Cup as part of his work covering Italian national team matches. After watching Italy win the 1968 European Football Championships, the successor to the Central European International Cup he had won twice with the Azzurri, Pozzo died that year.
However, in the 1938 World Cup in France, Pozzo ordered the players to continue with the fascist salute during the national anthem. Afterwards he declared: "Our players don't even dream to make some politics, but the fascist salute is the official flag of the moment, it's a sort of ceremony and they must show allegiance to it. I have my ideas, but I know what my duty is. When we take to the field we are solemn and deafening hisses attend us. And we don't lower the hand until the hisses are stopped. The action of intimidation has not succeeded". The quarter-final, in Paris against France, saw Italy play in the infamous all-black strip. These were dark times in Italy, and even the legacy of this great football man is caught up with it.
Munch for the Bunch
A feast. Everything is local to Turin here, guys! Tuck in.
Selected local antipasti:
The we will have the pasta dish, agnolotti.
Then a main course of acciughe in salsa verde (anchovies in green sauce).
Then we will have gianduiotto chocolate and cheese.
And as much Prosecco as you can fit in your belly.
Stage 21 Torino to Superga 24.6km
You ask me what I associate Italy with? More than the wines and the cheeses and the Giro and the Romans and the political scandals and the Renaissance and the culture?
Football. Calcio.
And what city is most synonymous with Italian football? For me, Turin. The home of Juventus, the home of Torino, and the hill of Superga, where one of the best football teams ever, Grande Torino perished in a tragic air accident.
This stage was always going to be a time trial up Superga. And I originally saw this as primarily a tribute to Milano – Torino, like the tributes we have had to the Giro di Lombardia, Roma Maxima, Strade Bianche and Milan San Remo. So this is the fifth recreation of a classic in the Giro di Barmaher.
But it is really the Calcio stage. We will start at Juventus Stadium. Travel due south towards the Stadio Olimpico, the home of Torino. Then back through the city of Turin, and across the bridge to Sassi. All before tackling the legendary climb of Superga.
As mentioned above, the finish will be on the hill (indeed metres from the spot) where the great Torino team of the late 40s died in a plane crash. This team were considered invincible. They won 5 successive league titles, breaking all manner of records along the way. The team made up the majority of the Italian national team at the time. But forgetting about the sporting impact, what a tragedy for so many young people to die, after lasting the second World War.
This is a tough enough time trial before Superga, given the preceding days. 20 kilometres against the clock on the last day of an ITT is tough. But then the riders have to climb Superga. The ascent to Superga Basilica climbs for 4.9km at 9.2%. A fiendishly tough way to end the day.
What a spectacle this will be for the fans. Another climb right beside a city to end the Giro di Barmaher.
Thanks for reading.
Person of the Stage
Vittorio Pozzo (born in Turin, Italy) was an Italian football coach and journalist. He is best known for leading the Italian national team to victory in the 1934 and 1938 FIFA World Cups, as well as the 1936 Olympic football gold medal and the 1928 Olympic bronze medal. Pozzo also managed the champions of the 1930 and 1935 Central European International Cup and oversaw the famous unbeaten run of the Italian side from December 1934 until 1939.
Famous for creating the Metodo tactical formation, he is the only person to guide his national team to two FIFA World Cup final wins, men's or women's, as a coach. No other coach, not even Norio Sasaki, who attempted to replicate his legacy 77 years later, could achieve such a feat.
His percentage of victories is equal to 65.97% of the played games, a record among Italian national team coaches. Pozzo became a journalist with Stampa after retiring from football management, resuming a career he had worked in prior to his successes as coach of Italy. He reported on the 1950 FIFA World Cup as part of his work covering Italian national team matches. After watching Italy win the 1968 European Football Championships, the successor to the Central European International Cup he had won twice with the Azzurri, Pozzo died that year.
However, in the 1938 World Cup in France, Pozzo ordered the players to continue with the fascist salute during the national anthem. Afterwards he declared: "Our players don't even dream to make some politics, but the fascist salute is the official flag of the moment, it's a sort of ceremony and they must show allegiance to it. I have my ideas, but I know what my duty is. When we take to the field we are solemn and deafening hisses attend us. And we don't lower the hand until the hisses are stopped. The action of intimidation has not succeeded". The quarter-final, in Paris against France, saw Italy play in the infamous all-black strip. These were dark times in Italy, and even the legacy of this great football man is caught up with it.
Munch for the Bunch
A feast. Everything is local to Turin here, guys! Tuck in.
Selected local antipasti:
The we will have the pasta dish, agnolotti.
Then a main course of acciughe in salsa verde (anchovies in green sauce).
Then we will have gianduiotto chocolate and cheese.
And as much Prosecco as you can fit in your belly.
- Sep 28, 2014
- 3,639
- 1,608
- 16,680
- Feb 18, 2015
- 13,655
- 9,430
- 28,180
100th GIRO D'ITALIA stage 21: Milano - Milano (24 km ITT)
FINALE OHO. FINALE OHOHOHO.
Well, if you are from germany you probably sang this last line...whatever. After twenty days of racing the riders have been through a lot. While they followed the route of the 1st giro 1909, they rode along the beautiful Adriatic coast, climbed up the unknown slopes of Sassotetto, sprinted up to Chieti, suffered on the brutal climb to Blockhaus, fighted for the lead after the first week on the Vesuvio, sprinted for the victory in Rome, tried to stay on their bike over the gravel roads of the tuscany, climbed up the famous hills of MSR, fighted for the maglia rosa on the monsters of Piedmont, and decided the the gc on the mortirolo and the stelvio...or did they. Well, probably yes. Considering that there have been so many hard mountain stages, including a long flat TT and a MTT its likely that someone has a good lead, either because someone completely dominated the race (although in that case the route hardly ever changes everything) or because someone got a lot of time on one of the last stages, which should be possible because penultimate climbs are often more difficult. However there are also the gt's where either nothing happens (giro 2012 which actually had a decent route) or the fight for the gc is simply very close (vuelta 2013). In such cases one last ITT on the last stage can suddenly make the whole race way more interesting and force the riders to attack more on the last few stages.
The great finale of this giro takes place in Milano, the cycling metropole of Italy. It hosts most giro finals, it hosts the start of italy's probably most famous classic, Milano-San Remo, as well as the start of the oldest cycling race of the world, Milano-Turino. Moreover it hosted most Il Lombardia finishes and starts. Beside its extremely rich cycling history Milano also is very important for Italy's history. Back in the Roman Era Milan already was a very important economic factor for the Empire. After the end of the Romans the city was ruled by different monarchs, like Germans, Frenchs and Austrians. Since the Risorgimento the city became more and more important, because of its industry and its culture. Especially the second point is something great because it means that the city isnt only famous but also beautiful, which makes it a popular goal for tourists. Combining all of that I come to the conclusion that Milan is the perfect location to host the finish of the 100th Giro d'Italia (and actually I didnt have a choice anyway because of the 1909 route )
The start of my stage is already something special, because the route starts in the yard of the Castello Sforzesco, which should already look very scenic (a little bit like the Vuelta TT start of 2014). The first few kilometers the riders ride along the Parco Sempione, before they pass the Arco della Pace.
the next few kilometers are rather straight forward and something for real TT specialists, while the first 2 k's were technical with some narrow turns. There only are some roundabouts, which should break the rhythm a little bit. The first time check is located on the Piazzale Giulio Cesare, probably the most famous Italian (Roman) ruler ever, and although I maybe didnt pay enough tribute to him with my route, but at least the location of this time check should put him in mind of the viewers.
The rest of the first half isnt very interesting because the roads are mostly wide. I know that a rather short TT should also be technical but I tried to get a good mix and IMO the technical aspect is big enough. Thats also because the riders then arrive in the centre of Milan and there are some short cobbled sections and there are also some sharp turns. This second half also contains the second time check in front of the Porta Ticinese.
The final 500 meters are completely straight forward again but that doesnt mean a lot because the way to the Piazza del Duomo is almost completely cobbled (good cobbles of course, so I don't think it should be a problem) but still if it rains maybe there would be the same situation like in the 100 years jubilee giro. the finish should be very scenic, because...well, just look how beautiful this cathedral is.
Castello Sforzesco (start of the stage):
ps: Torino the city of football? Pff, Inter and AC Milan, just sayin'
FINALE OHO. FINALE OHOHOHO.
Well, if you are from germany you probably sang this last line...whatever. After twenty days of racing the riders have been through a lot. While they followed the route of the 1st giro 1909, they rode along the beautiful Adriatic coast, climbed up the unknown slopes of Sassotetto, sprinted up to Chieti, suffered on the brutal climb to Blockhaus, fighted for the lead after the first week on the Vesuvio, sprinted for the victory in Rome, tried to stay on their bike over the gravel roads of the tuscany, climbed up the famous hills of MSR, fighted for the maglia rosa on the monsters of Piedmont, and decided the the gc on the mortirolo and the stelvio...or did they. Well, probably yes. Considering that there have been so many hard mountain stages, including a long flat TT and a MTT its likely that someone has a good lead, either because someone completely dominated the race (although in that case the route hardly ever changes everything) or because someone got a lot of time on one of the last stages, which should be possible because penultimate climbs are often more difficult. However there are also the gt's where either nothing happens (giro 2012 which actually had a decent route) or the fight for the gc is simply very close (vuelta 2013). In such cases one last ITT on the last stage can suddenly make the whole race way more interesting and force the riders to attack more on the last few stages.
The great finale of this giro takes place in Milano, the cycling metropole of Italy. It hosts most giro finals, it hosts the start of italy's probably most famous classic, Milano-San Remo, as well as the start of the oldest cycling race of the world, Milano-Turino. Moreover it hosted most Il Lombardia finishes and starts. Beside its extremely rich cycling history Milano also is very important for Italy's history. Back in the Roman Era Milan already was a very important economic factor for the Empire. After the end of the Romans the city was ruled by different monarchs, like Germans, Frenchs and Austrians. Since the Risorgimento the city became more and more important, because of its industry and its culture. Especially the second point is something great because it means that the city isnt only famous but also beautiful, which makes it a popular goal for tourists. Combining all of that I come to the conclusion that Milan is the perfect location to host the finish of the 100th Giro d'Italia (and actually I didnt have a choice anyway because of the 1909 route
)The start of my stage is already something special, because the route starts in the yard of the Castello Sforzesco, which should already look very scenic (a little bit like the Vuelta TT start of 2014). The first few kilometers the riders ride along the Parco Sempione, before they pass the Arco della Pace.
the next few kilometers are rather straight forward and something for real TT specialists, while the first 2 k's were technical with some narrow turns. There only are some roundabouts, which should break the rhythm a little bit. The first time check is located on the Piazzale Giulio Cesare, probably the most famous Italian (Roman) ruler ever, and although I maybe didnt pay enough tribute to him with my route, but at least the location of this time check should put him in mind of the viewers.
The rest of the first half isnt very interesting because the roads are mostly wide. I know that a rather short TT should also be technical but I tried to get a good mix and IMO the technical aspect is big enough. Thats also because the riders then arrive in the centre of Milan and there are some short cobbled sections and there are also some sharp turns. This second half also contains the second time check in front of the Porta Ticinese.
The final 500 meters are completely straight forward again but that doesnt mean a lot because the way to the Piazza del Duomo is almost completely cobbled (good cobbles of course, so I don't think it should be a problem) but still if it rains maybe there would be the same situation like in the 100 years jubilee giro. the finish should be very scenic, because...well, just look how beautiful this cathedral is.
Castello Sforzesco (start of the stage):
ps: Torino the city of football? Pff, Inter and AC Milan, just sayin'
- Feb 18, 2015
- 13,655
- 9,430
- 28,180
- Aug 3, 2015
- 22,040
- 9,497
- 28,180
3 sprinter stages - I like it.
The only thing I dont particularly like is the your ITT. I think it could have been a little more flat considering the amount of mountain stages and your big mountain ITT. And Im not too fond of your Finestre-stage, but apart from that (I dont consider the cultural-thingy you guys seem to rate highly) I like it super much
The only thing I dont particularly like is the your ITT. I think it could have been a little more flat considering the amount of mountain stages and your big mountain ITT. And Im not too fond of your Finestre-stage, but apart from that (I dont consider the cultural-thingy you guys seem to rate highly) I like it super much
- Feb 18, 2015
- 13,655
- 9,430
- 28,180
Re:
Yeah I'm also not sure if I maybe don't have enough TT kilometers but considering there is another flat one which is pretty long, the fact that good TTers are often good in MTT's too (as long as they can climb which should be given considering we are talking about the gc) and that there are only 3 1st category (from which only one would be HC) mtf's I think its okay.
Ps: Well there are only 3 pure sprint stages. I tried to make some which should cause a good fight between sprinters and attackers like stage 1, 10, 15, 18, maybe even 2 + 3 sprint stages means a possible number of 7 (maybe 8) bunch sprints which would actually be more than enough. But ofc the thing is that there could also only be 3 bunch sprints.
I would have made it longer but there is a rule that says I must not do a TT longer than 25 k's on the last day when my transfer was longer than 75 kilometers. Barmaher has the advantage that he could made the TT harder by putting a mountain at the end, which unfortunately is impossible in Milan.Valv.Piti said:
Yeah I'm also not sure if I maybe don't have enough TT kilometers but considering there is another flat one which is pretty long, the fact that good TTers are often good in MTT's too (as long as they can climb which should be given considering we are talking about the gc) and that there are only 3 1st category (from which only one would be HC) mtf's I think its okay.
Ps: Well there are only 3 pure sprint stages. I tried to make some which should cause a good fight between sprinters and attackers like stage 1, 10, 15, 18, maybe even 2 + 3 sprint stages means a possible number of 7 (maybe 8) bunch sprints which would actually be more than enough. But ofc the thing is that there could also only be 3 bunch sprints.
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