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Rate the 2012 Giro D'Italia Route

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How do you rate the route? (from 1 up to 10)

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Eshnar

Eshnar

Mar 24, 2011
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Here I post my thoughts of it:

WEEK 1: Prologue (ok), flat stage (likely crosswinds... ok), other flat stage. This isn't ok, they could have put something steeper instead. TTT (I don't like them, but whatever). Stage 5 is a bunch sprint. I don't like it. A hilly stage was better. Stage 6 is hilly, with sterrato but far away from the finish. If the stage ended at Montelupone it would have been awesome, but it's not the case.
Stage 7 is the usual weak MTF. It's fine. Stage 8 is a good stage, but it lack a proper hill before the final one.

WEEK 2: Sprint (ok, after 3 hilly stages), uphill sprint (I have to look at the final kms to be sure), sprint with a bump in the end (not good, in tuscany I expected something more). Stage 12 is excellent. Stage 13 is a bunch sprint. At least it's a short stage, so it will not bore us for 6 hours. Stage 14 is the first mountain stage... it could have been better with another climb instead of Col Du Joux. Stage 15 is a great stage.

WEEK 3: Stage 16 is a huge letdown. They should have put the Terento in. Stage 17 is wonderful. Stage 18 is the final sprint stage. Stage 19 is AWESOME. Stage 20 isn't the best possible stage, but at least there's room for an early attack. Stage 21 is the final, almost pointless ITT.

Overall it's a 6/10 for me - Week 1: 4/10 - Week 2: 6/10 - Week 3: 8/10
 
Libertine Seguros

Libertine Seguros

Feb 20, 2010
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Gave it 4. Very weak. Seems to be following the Tour plan of making sure the final week is entertaining by making sure the first two weeks are boring. Stages 8, 12, 15, 18 and 19 are the only ones I like, whereas the Pfalzen stage is a FLAT DOLOMITE STAGE. The fact that I put those three words together tells you that this is not a good sign.

As I said in the other thread - it's like a weak version of the 2008 route (except the Pampeago stage, which is better than its equivalent), and we're going to need a bucketload of CERA to make this as entertaining a race.
 
1

18-Valve. (pithy)

May 4, 2011
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Libertine Seguros said:
Haha, yes, 17. Typo. Now that you've pointed it out I kind of have to leave it there for posterity: I announced that I liked a pan-flat sprinter's special in week 3 of the Giro d'Italia :eek:
Click to expand...

LOL. Yeah, it's pretty sad if you ask me. Though many people here were complaining about the lack of flat stages in the third week. I hope they're happy now. ;)
 
The Hitch

The Hitch

Jun 14, 2010
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Libertine Seguros said:
Haha, yes, 17. Typo. Now that you've pointed it out I kind of have to leave it there for posterity: I announced that I liked a pan-flat sprinter's special in week 3 of the Giro d'Italia :eek:
Click to expand...

Well 18 comes after the Giau stage, which sprinters probably wont bother with, so it could be a sprint without sprinters
 
F

Fus087

Jan 27, 2011
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I'm biased - the start in Denmark is considered a huge plus by me, no matter what the stages will be like. :D
I would have liked more sterrato (in the Chianti region, that's the only reasonable place to have such a stage!), and the Montalbano climb on the Montecatini stage, but overall I like it.
Stage 12 looks good, will be interesting whether it's only the stage hunters racing, or the GC favourites too.
And although the big mountain stages all come in the last week, they look good too: Stage 15 could be great if people go from far out (Valcava even?).
Stages 17 and 19 are interesting, with many consecutive climbs.
Stage 20 - Mortirolo & Stelvio - could become underwhelming if the GC is already set. If we have a situation like 2005, it could be awesome. And that loop around Teglio is just mean... "Let's make a stage with two of the hardest climbs there are a bit longer, just for the sake of it, and let's put in another steep climb." ;)

Overall 7/10.
 
Dancing On The Pedals

Dancing On The Pedals

Aug 31, 2011
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Libertine Seguros said:
Gave it 4. Very weak. Seems to be following the Tour plan of making sure the final week is entertaining by making sure the first two weeks are boring. Stages 8, 12, 15, 18 and 19 are the only ones I like, whereas the Pfalzen stage is a FLAT DOLOMITE STAGE. The fact that I put those three words together tells you that this is not a good sign.

As I said in the other thread - it's like a weak version of the 2008 route (except the Pampeago stage, which is better than its equivalent), and we're going to need a bucketload of CERA to make this as entertaining a race.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, it would appear so. From the CN story - "Alberto Contador blew the race apart at the end of week one last year and with that clearly in mind, the 2012 Giro seems mapped out with the hope of maintaining the suspense into the final week. In theory, therefore, the pre-race favourites should still be in contention as hostilities resume with a stage over rugged terrain to Falzes, where Damiano Cunego rode definitively into pink in 2004."

It seems a bit underwhelming, but maybe that's because we've been spoilt with Zomegan going bonkers in recent years? Undoubtedly some very good stages, but too few TT km, and a very mediocre first half of the race to make it an evenly balanced route. However, il Giro being il Giro, no doubt the racing will be more entertaining than the Tourso at least that's a plus.
 
Zoncolan

Zoncolan

Apr 1, 2009
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I think it's an 8/10.
A bit crowded in the third week and lack of another ITT is what I don't like. Could have done away with the TTT as well.
I would maybe give it a seven, were it not for the awesome profile of stage 20 and the inclusion of Stelvio, something I've been wishing for a long time. There are 5-6 medium mountain/intermediate stages which I think could be quite interesting. Cortina could be super exciting, as it finishes downhill after a very hard route.
Again, this parcours needed another ITT, maybe instead of the TTT, or the flat to Frosinone (9). Make it a rolling one at ~ 35 km. Also, extend the Milan ITT to ~ 50 km and we'd have a course deserving 9/10 IMHO.
 
jens_attacks

jens_attacks

Sep 8, 2009
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"piu umano" sucks balls.i expected this after 2011 zomegnan's crazyness.in 2013 hopefully it will be better.
so first week:
1.prologue-i like
2-3. sprint stages-fair enough,the world champ can come here just for these ones
riposo
4.ttt-useless,i always said 70 km ttt or nothing,this is too short
5.again sprint stage,already the 3rd
6.strade bianche stage,perfect for some breakaway.i appreciate that there is no sterrato downhill,that's ridiculously dangerous(+rujano lost 5 minutes there).and you don't wanna mess again with an angry di luca senza sella
7.rocca di cambio,30 km/h climb for rouleurs i guess.something like montevergine.meh
8.lago laceno...good stage finally,i can already read mollema winning on molella.how tough is this,5 km at 9% or something like this?rujano on the attack!
9.somehow i think it won't end in a sprint but is the 4th for them
10.some 4 km at 4%.showdown between rebellin and di luca.or is it tougher than that?
11.very good stage,240 km with a bump at the end,won't end in a sprint for sure.cunego or ballan
12.stage for breakaway.nibali might try something here.
13.extremely short stage,the 5th for sprinters
14-15 finally some mountains.last 100 km for piani resinelli are tough as hell
riposo
16.again something for puncheurs.ballan,di luca whoever will be here
17.i love this stage,it's beautiful.expect good old garza to having a go for kom here
18.purely for the sprinters,the 6th
19.awesome!manghen-pampeago.sella for the win!
20.i still think it will be chaos on mortirolo.great stage
21.ridiculous,30 km of itt lol.only if rujano will need so few km of itt i will respect the decision of not having more.

the route is not the best of the best but is definitely good.honestly i think 4 stages for sprinters in a grand tour is more than enough so instead of two of them i'd have put an itt of 50 kms and another tappone somewhere at the beginning of the second week


i give it a 7.

lol vuelta might come with the best route of the year
 
Descender

Descender

Aug 29, 2010
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I'll be good and raise my mark to 4/10.

Like I've said before, I can't give a good mark to a route that has only 40kms of ITT, and most of them at the very end. That for starters.

Beside that, the great last week (it really is pretty damn good I have to say) doesn't make up for the terrible first two weeks.

And as somebody else said, this is a 3-weeks tour, not a one-week tour with a two-week prelude.

Quite disappointed.
 
Libertine Seguros

Libertine Seguros

Feb 20, 2010
32,227
13,697
28,180
I think we may have been spoilt by Zomegnan's bonkersness (though 2011 was clearly overkill). Zomegnan needed perhaps somebody alongside him to reign in his insanity, whereas this needs a touch of Zomegnan's flair for pizzazz. 2008 was almost as backloaded as this (first true high mountain stage was Stage 14, to Pampeago), but had a hilly stage as the very first road stage to break the bunch up a bit (Riccò won ahead of Pellizotti), and a couple of finishes like Contursi Terme, before ending week 1 with Pescocostanzo. Give me that profile ahead of a Montevergine di Mercigliano or Roccà di Cambio stage any day of the week:

Giro_dItalia_Stage_7_VASTO-PESCOCOSTANZO.jpg


The climb was long enough and just steep enough to tempt second-tier GC riders to attack (plus we got a very good fight for the stage win from the splintered escapees, featuring some dangerous names - Bosisio, Cardenas, Kiryienka and Sella), but they had to work together on the short flat to stay away before attacking each other again on the short run in to the finish.

My fear is that we'll be left with the medium mountain stages disappointing because there won't be enough people down enough time to be allowed to give us an interesting escape bunch.
 
Descender

Descender

Aug 29, 2010
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250
13,880
I mean this stage, on closer inspection, is the definition of everything that is bad about cycling routes these days. Leave everything till the very end, the later, the better. Please no attacks from far, pretty please!

This stage was rumoured to go indeed with Manghen, Passo di Pampeago, Lavazè and then to the last 4kms of Alpe di Pampeago DIRECTLY from Lavazè. That would have meant no flat km since the start of Passo di Pampeago and a near perfect stage, encouraging riders to try it from far while still offering a tough MTF.

However, the final design sees the riders descend Lavazè completely, then ride a stretch of flat road and climb Pampeago from the bottom again. Me no understands.

tappa_dettagli_tecnici_altimetria_19.jpg
 
S

Sophistic

Jun 29, 2009
589
0
0
3 TTs, 5 tough mountain stages (dont be fooled by the gradients on stage 14, its 22km + 27km back to back up to 2000m altitude...thats not a walk in the park) + a couple of medium stages...8,5/10.
 
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