Stage 19: Bassano Del Grappa - Cima Grappa 26.8 km MTT

[Red Rick]

Stage 19: Bassano Del Grappa - Cima Grappa 26.8 km MTT

The WWI monument at the top

Technical overview:
Here it is, the key stage of the Giro. For the first time in the last 10 years at least, the most important stage is a MTT. The craziest MTT in the last 20 years period, the last one comparable in difficulty would be Sestriere 1993, even though it was an entirely different climb. The most similar to this one, anyway, is surely Mont Ventoux 1987. 27 km from Bassano to the top of the colossal Monte Grappa, 19 km at 8% average, with 8 km of a flat run-in. The Grappa can be divided in two parts, divided by an intermediate checkpoint: the first one features very constant gradients, and it's almost 12 km long at 7.4% average; the last part has irregular, steep slopes, 7.5 km at 8.9%.

What to expect:
Gaps. Big gaps. It will be very important to manage the effort correctly in the flat first part. A MTT really hard not only to ride, but also to plan. Who wins this wins the Giro, I have little doubts.

Moving on toe one of the more brutal mtt's in recent years

 

[Afrank]

Except replace Nibs with Nairo.

Hmm, maybe I'll end up with a new avatar of the same thing happening just with a different rider.



Edit: Hey! 7,000. Cool.

 

[PirazziAttacksVino]

This has Quintana witten all over it. Starting from the second intermediate check, we will be witnessing a genocide

 

[hfer07]

Pozzo
Quintana
Uran



basically after this stage, Quintana will be 100% securing the Maglia Rosa while the podium will be up for grasp between Uran, Rolland & Aru.

 

[Eclipse]

Good time trials at this Giro. Got me excited and I don't even like the discipline.

Hoping Rolland puts in a good one but I expect him to drop a handful of places.

 

[the sceptic]

This has Quintana witten all over it. Starting from the second intermediate check, we will be witnessing a genocide

poor choice of words there...

Anyway, Quintana to win.. Evans to lose 10 minutes

 

[christopherrowe]

Although I personally am now tranquil about Stage 16, I kind of hope Nairo wins this with such authority that it erases any doubts (not that there could rationally be many of those, really) about whether he would have/could have won the overall independent of the controversial day.

He doesn't, to my mind, "need" to prove anything by winning with great authority, but it will certainly be a positive for the race and memories of it if he does.

So, I'm cheering for Nairo to take a spectacular win, for Rolland to cement a place on the podium, and for Evans to maintain a top ten position on the GC.

 

[Arnout]

Will the riders change bikes or is the 7km of flat too short for that?

 

[Piz Buin]

Just saw Stefano Garzelli climbing the Monte Grappa for RAI. Beautiful Views!

Hope quintana murders everyone so everybody can shut up about stage 16 already

 

[hfer07]

Just saw Stefano Garzelli climbing the Monte Grappa for RAI. Beautiful Views!

Hope quintana murders everyone so everybody can shut up about stage 16 already

+100000+

10 char

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Aru to show those colombians how to properly climb a mountain

 

[Ruby United]

Finally Quintana will prove to all those still going on about stage 16 ( ahem damian) that he always had this Giro winning by about 2 minutes.

 

[PirazziAttacksVino]

I think we should all be talking about who'll be in the lead at the first time check, as the winner of the stage is too obvious My pick is Svein Tuft, just to show that he's still alive

 

[christopherrowe]

Are there mountain points on offer? Could Quintana overtake Cataldo and Wellens to make for a Colombian top three in that classification? He'd only need seven points.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

1 Quintana
2 Uran
3 Pozzo
4 Aru
5 Kelder
6 Brambilla
7 Rolland

 

[yespatterns]

Quintana to win major time, Evans out of the top ten, Rolland out of the top five. Aru and Pozzo will probably push Uran out of podium contention for the day.As usual fingers crossed for Kelderman to make up for his crack at the end of today's stage.

 

[spalco]

Man, what a brutal stage, should be fun to watch.

And contrary to popular opinion here I'm not sure Quintana's going to win big here, we'll see.

 

[Ruby United]

I rate Duarte for a podium on the stage, he's looking in fabulous climbing form. The only question is will he actually go for it??? If he does I really rate him. Asides from nairo he has the best recovery in the race.

 

[damian13ster]

Finally Quintana will prove to all those still going on about stage 16 ( ahem damian) that he always had this Giro winning by about 2 minutes.

Yep, as I said. If he wins by 4-5 minutes even under those circumstances then all the controversy will be gone (unless Rolland podiums of course but thats of lesser importance)

 

[christopherrowe]

...Evans out of the top ten...

Come now. Evans to lose ten minutes on, let's see, Alexis Vuillermoz? Or are you suggesting he'll lose fifteen to Alexandre Geniez?

 

[Ruby United]

Yep, as I said. If he wins by 4-5 minutes even under those circumstances then all the controversy will be gone (unless Rolland podiums of course but thats of lesser importance)

And he will win by 4 minutes.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Quintana to win major time, Evans out of the top ten, Rolland out of the top five. Aru and Pozzo will probably push Uran out of podium contention for the day.As usual fingers crossed for Kelderman to make up for his crack at the end of today's stage.

Will he break his leg, or riding backwards, or something?

 

[christopherrowe]

If he wins by 4-5 minutes...

You're speaking of the GC and not tomorrow's stage I hope!

 

[damian13ster]

And he will win by 4 minutes.

Lets hope so. Then it would all be fair and unless Rolland podiums this entire thing wouldnt have significant effect on final GC

 

[Ruby United]

Come now. Evans to lose ten minutes on, let's see, Alexis Vuillermoz? Or are you suggesting he'll lose fifteen to Alexandre Geniez?

You never know anymore with evans. Seriously though, he will go to tenth, maybe not eleventh ( yes I know he 3:30 ahead of kiserlovski)