In my class there are two exchange students, one from Pamplona and one from Bilbao. Coincidence?
The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to
In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.
Thanks!
Rettenbachferner on stage 10 nice, a little bit hard but stage 8 and stage 9 are both rather easy, so it shouldn't be a huge problem and bad weather could also be a problem in the 2nd or 3rd week of the Giro, I remember snowstorms on ther Brenner/Brennero in June, July and August, you can always have bad luck in the Alpes.bp92 said:Giro d'Italia Stage 10: Brunico/Bruneck - Rettenbachferner (Austria), 151km (*****)
Climbs: Monte Giovo (15,1km @ 7,6%), Passo del Rombo (29km @ 6,2%), Rettenbachferner (11,9km @ 10,8%)
Stage 10 may be a short stage... but it's an extremely hard one. No rest for the final 100km, three very hard cat.1 climbs, and a brutal summit finish at a high altitude.
There are only 50kms of respite early on, before the first of the big climbs.
Monte Giovo isn't very steep, but is extremely consistent, with gradients always between 7 and 8,5% throughout 15km. By itself a formidable climb... but dwarfed by the two remaining climbs.
First comes Passo del Rombo, a very long climb with two steep sections with gradients up to 11%, and a false flat section in the middle. By itself it should be more than enough to break apart the peloton.
And yet, the last climb of the stage is even harder.
The climb to Rettenbachferner, most recently used in this year's Tour de Suisse, is extremely hard. Except for a small break halfway through, its slopes rarely go below 10%. The most difficult part comes at the beginning, with 5 kms at almost 12%. The second half features slightly more manageable gradients (around 10% instead of 12%), but with a full km at 13%. With the summit comming at 2650m above sea level, the end of this stage will also be the highest point of the race.
A critical stage for climbers early on the race, that might be devastating for those trying to reach peak form later on the race. Big gaps should form on the summit finish, particularly if someone tries to make a move earlier on the climb. And with a rest day coming up, it's very possible that we'll see some atacks.
Another thing to note is the weather; with two climbs over 2400m and a summit finish well over 2600, a snow-out might be likely. While there are alternative routes in case of snow (head into Austria via Brennerjoch until Innsbruck, then go west through Kühtai, then enter the Sölden valley from the north and climb the first half of Rettenbachferner), the stage would clearly be much less interesting than the original. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case.
(I know the Monte Giovo-Rombo-Rettenbachferner combo has already been done in this thread, but it's just too good to pass up
REST DAY: Innsbruck (Austria)
yes, thats a pityLibertine Seguros said:The biggest problem with that DACH Rundfahrt stage is simply that the TV cameras probably won't have turned on early enough to give us Sölkpass helicam footage.
Libertine Seguros said:The biggest problem with that DACH Rundfahrt stage is simply that the TV cameras probably won't have turned on early enough to give us Sölkpass helicam footage.
jsem94 said:I'm salivating.
Steven Roots said:-Brillant stage in the Alpes-Maritimes, Andrew.
Underused region of course, as its really far from the main routes.
The Madone as the first climb, thats a strong choice. Its narrow, but the race will be already on right away.
The Millau stage was very solid as well, the Cévennes are always a good choice anyway.
bp92 said:Nice stages in Austria and France.
It's unfortunate that Sölkapass is so far away from goal, where it won't be anywhere near decisive enough, but the actual defining climbs are good enough anyway.
The Turini stage also looks great. Turini's incredibly underused, given its Montecarlo rally history (and the fact that it's an incredibly beautiful road on its own).
lemon cheese cake said:Andrew: I really like that stage. The Alpes Maritimes has some really good terrain to be used. It has had some great racing through it, during the Paris Nice. Shame it isnt used in Le Tour more.