The organisers of the Giro d’Italia have unveiled what is set to be one of the crucial stages in the fight for the maglia rosa next year, and one of the most visually spectacular to boot.
Stage 9 will be a 40.4 kilometre individual time trial, taking riders through the rolling hills and vineyards of the famous winemaking region of Chianti. With barely a metre of flat road, the relatively long test against the clock, coming just before the half-way stage, has the potential to produce sizeable time gaps and significantly shape the complexion of the overall classification.
“This is going to be one of the most spectacular stages of the Giro 2016, both in a technical, riding respect as well as for its unique scenery,” said race director Mauro Vegni as the stage was unveiled in London on Monday morning.
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“A 40km Individual Time Trial without a single metre of flat and almost at the middle of the race, will define for sure who the potential winners are. I would like to underline the landscape that we are going to show to the world through the unique TV images, as unique as the Gallo Nero territory that hosts this wonderful stage.”
It will be the third time in as many years that the Giro has featured a time trial that showcases the country's vineyards. Rigoberto Uran won the time trial from Barbaresco to Barolo in 2014, while this year’s race featured an unusually long 60km time trial through Prosecco country, where Alberto Contador was able to put almost three minutes into Fabio Aru en route to overall victory. That route did contain a couple of climbs but it was a largely flat affair, and next year’s chrono will offer a challenge of a different nature. It won’t be a case of getting on top of a big gear and grinding it out; the constant undulations will constantly disrupt the rhythm and the riders will still have to push hard on the gentle descents.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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