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dello Sport
With the Spring Classics an ever fading memory it's time for the peloton to
shut up the home, turn off the gas, pack the large suitcase and tell the cat
they may be gone some time, yes it is time for the first Grand Tour of the year
- the 2010 Giro d'Italia and you better buckle up, the route's a cracker.
raphic © 210 Gazzetta dello Sport
The race starts with three stages in the Netherlands before the riders get an
early rest day as they head south to Italy for a stage 4 Team Time Trial. A flat
stage five followed by a couple of hilly stages then lead the peloton towards
the first mountain stage to Monte Terminillo on stage 8. Four flat stages,
punctuated only by a hillier stage 11, follow before the road heads upwards
again on stage 14 at the start of what perhaps could be the toughest closing
week of any Grand Tour for some time.
The mountainous stage 14 is followed by a stage 15 finish on Monte Zoncolon.
After a well-earned second rest day the riders face a mountain Time Trial up the
graveled Plan de Corones. They get a slight respite from the mountains for a
couple of days before tackling two massive mountain stages featuring the
Mortirolo and the Passo di Gavia respectively. The race culminates in a final
Time Trial around Verona. It is a brutal final week that will keep the General
Classification difficult to call right up to the last day. But we're getting
ahead of ourselves, the final week fireworks are all to come. So, for now, let
us content ourselves with the first 8 stages. Here then is part one of the Daily
Peloton's preview to the parcours of the 93rd Giro d'Italia.
Stage 1; Saturday 8th May;
Amsterdam-Amsterdam, ITT, 8.4km
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For the first time since 2006, when the race started in Belgium, the Giro
starts outside of Italy. The opening stage is an 8.4km Individual Time Trial
around the streets of Amsterdam. With barely a pimple on the route there
shouldn't be any nasty surprises for the TT specialists. It's going to be a
short, sharp and, for the rider lucky enough to pull on the race's first Maglia
Rosa, it's going to be a particularly sweet day.
Stage 2; Sunday 9th May;
Amsterdam-Utrecht, 209km
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The riders leave Amsterdam on a twisting route south-east before reaching the
town of Rhenen where they go on an anti-clockwise loop before heading north-west
to Utrecht. It's a flat day in the saddle and so early on in the race it's
certain to be a nervous, twitchy day. It is also certain that the cycling fans
of Utrecht will be treated to a mass bunch sprint finish.
Stage 3; Monday 10th May;
Amsterdam-Middleburg, 224km
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By now the riders must be wondering what on earth they have to do to get out
of Amsterdam. Three days in and they're still surrounded by the canals and
coffee houses. But today they can at last tip the maid and wave a final goodbye
to their hotels as stage three sees the peloton leaving the Dutch capital for
good. Yesterday's stage will seem positively lumpy in comparison to today's ride
to Middelburg. So flat you could cut the profile out and use it instead of a
spirit level to hang some shelves, the only danger here to a bunch sprint finale
is the winds that could blow off the coast. They could lead to some interesting
splits in the peloton should there are any dozing riders out there, but it is
far more likely we will see the second mass sprint in succession.
Stage 4; Wednesday 12th May;
Savigliano-Cuneo, TTT, 32.5km
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After three days in Netherlands followed by an early rest day to recover from
the lengthy transfer south, the peloton finally make it on to Italian soil for a
32.5km Team Time Trial. Starting in Savigliano in the north-west of the country,
the route takes the riders south to the town of Cuneo, the start town of last
year's stage 10, a 262km marathon mountain stage won by the later disgraced
Danilo Di Luca.
As always with a TTT, teamwork will be vital on today's stage. The course is
not particularly technical and although the road rises all the way it is more of
a false flat than anything else. We'll be sure to see another showdown between
the HTC-Columbia and Garmin squads for bragging rights although this time the
new boys, Team Sky, could just gatecrash the party. Whatever the result,
tonight's GC will look nothing like this morning's.
Stage 5; Thursday 13th May;
Novara-Novi Liguire, 168km
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After yesterday's exertions in the TTT, stage 5 represents a welcome day of
relative rest for the GC contenders. Another flat stage, with just a couple of
small inclines to get over after 107kms and 121kms respectively, the stage is
nailed on to finish in a bunch sprint to the line. The route takes the peloton
through the town of Castellania, birthplace of the great Fausto Coppi, and the
finish town, Novi Ligure, boasts the Museo dei Campionissimi which pays homage
to the great man. Today the race will mark the 50th anniversary of the death of
Coppi, paying due respect to the campionissimo, who died of malaria in 1960.
Stage 6; Friday 14th May;
Fidenza-Carrara; 166km
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The race route continues south with the first stage that isn't either a flat,
sprinter's stage or time trial. From the very start the road tilts upwards,
albeit initially gradually. At the 66km mark there comes a rude awakening as the
road rears steeply up to the 940m+ Passo del Brattello. There follows another
two climbs, the 654m Spolverina, maxing out at 10% gradient and finally the 286m
Beddizzano. Nothing here for the climbers to get too excited about but the
climbs are nicely placed to encourage an escape and we could see our first
attack of the race succeeding and staying away to claim the win.
Stage 7; Saturday 15th May;
Carrara-Montalcino, 215km
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Stage 7 and it's time for the Giro to present it's version of July's Tour de
France's own heavily publicised cobbled stages, yes it's time for the Giro to
unleash the Strade Bianche. A flat opening to the stage will lull the riders
into ta false sense of security before they hit the unmade gravel roads and the
rolling hills of Tuscany. It should be an action packed final 100kms or so as
the riders battle to maintain position on the Strade Bianche, Italy's answer to
the pave of Paris-Roubaix, praying that they won't fall foul of an unfortunate
puncture or mechanical problem before a final climb to 600m on the Poggio
Civitella and a short downhill to the finish. An exciting and unpredictable
stage should certainly be the order of the day.
Stage 8; Sunday 16th May; Chianciano
Terme-Monte Terminillo; 189 km
The first big mountain stage of the race, the first summit finish and the first
opportunity for the big guns to show their hands, although with a week of
relatively benign stages to come, the urge to climb into the Maglia Rosa might
just be outweighed by the desire not to have the pressure of defending it until
the final, definitive week.
graphic © 210 Gazzetta dello Sport
It's a rolling stage that comes with the vicious sting in the tail that is
Monte Terminillo. The climb up the Terminillo is a 16.1km slog to 1672m, maxing
out at an incline of 12% and with long stretches hovering around 8%. It's prime
attacking ground for the GC contenders but probably comes too early in the race
for any stinging attacks to be launched. It's far more likely that the
favourites will mark each other, keen to ensure they don't lose time here,
rather than gain it. But you never know, a la Contador in last year's Tour stage
to Andorra, a GC contender feeling good on the day might just decide the time is
right to disappear up the road and throw down a marker to his opponents, despite
being just one week into the race.
And that's week one of the 93rd Giro done. Eight stages, two Time Trials, one
mountain climb and a host of bunch sprints should leave the race delicately
poised with, in all probability, most, if not all of the GC contenders well
placed.
Be sure to check back soon for part two of the Daily Peloton's preview to the
parcours of the 93rd Giro d' Italia.
Celebrating our tenth year!
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