I know this route well having ridden these roads during training rides for years. It is also, more or less, the same percorso as the Granfondo di Roma, which, in years past, was known as the Giro del Lazio (that included other climbs like Belegra) in which I once got third place.
From Via Appia Nuova, just outside Rome, the route heads south toward the (once) beautiful Castelli Romani with its ancient Roman ruins and XIX century villas, where it veers right at Frattoccie (one of the ugliest towns in Italy) and proceeds S/W toward the Mediterranean coast and Aprilia, which is along the Via Pontina. Here the course is mostly downhill, with some undulations. From Aprilia moving south along the Via Carano-Via Aprilia, over basically flat terrain, the peloton reaches Cisterna di Latina. From Cisterna di Latina the route once again picks up the Via Appia through what used to be the flat Pontine Marshes before turning left after approximately 15 km and thus heads N/E toward the hills: through the vineyards of Sermoneta, Norma and Cori (where a nice Laziale wine is produced). From Cori the climb to Rocca Massima begins: 10 km at about 6-7%, with a couple of steeper sections toward the top. The climb is fast, thus one feels good on the wheels in the gruppo; however, it could also be a trampoline to assault the race more aggressively by either a bold single rider or a breakaway group, because for the next 40 km the terrain is the most difficult of the race.
The one danger from this point is that the road surface between the villages of Rocca Massima, Segni and Colleferro is totally sh!tty. There are lots of cracks and pot holes on the descents caused by the heavy winter rains, so unless they've repaved the riders will have to proceed with extreme caution. From Colleferro, at the bottom of the descent, after about 10 k in the valley on a good wide road the race heads up again through the dark woods of Rocca Priora. The total length of the Rocca Priora climb is about 8 km, but the last 4 are the toughest: grades of 10-12% are constant right through the villiage before making the descent. After the descent from Rocca Priora, there is one last climb of 5 km to Rocca di Papa-Campi di Annibali ("Hannible's Fields"). This climb too presents more formidable grades and, if I'm not mistaken, at Rocca di Papa the riders face a 22% wall on Sampietrini (Roman pave,) before finally reaching Campi di Annibali.
After Campi di Annibali the course is basically a downhill plunge back toward the Appia Nuova, from whence it proceeds after 20 km to the third century Aurelian Walls of Rome and, eventually, to the Colosseum and the arrivo at Via dei Fori Imperiali: a Fascist era parade route Mussolini wanted in the 1930’s between the Colosseum and Piazza Venezia.
Shame I won't be able to watch this year.
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