Following Monday’s rest day in Tuscany, the Giro d’Italia heads north and into the mountains in week two, with a testing stage in the Apennines and then the little-known Friuli mountains and the spectacular Dolomites book-ending the second week of racing.
This year’s Giro has very limited transfers, with stages for the sprinters to Asolo on Wednesday and then to Bibione north of Venice on Thursday, taking the race north and giving the overall contenders a chance to recover from their efforts.
However, before then they face yet another test of their form and concentration on Tuesday’s stage 10 from Campi Bisenzio near Florence to Sestola in the Apennines that divide Tuscany from Emilia Romagna. The finish comes after a steady 7.4 per cent climb but the attacks and gaps could come before then on the steep rolling roads that characterise the Apennines and that have often hosted surprise attacks and traps for any unwary overall Giro d’Italia contender.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 219km stage includes almost 4000m of climbing, with two categorised climbs in the first half and then a long series of climbs and descents, twists and turns before the penultimate Pian del Falco climb – which kicks up at 9 per cent for the final three kilometres. The long series of climbs will test the strength of the overall contenders’ teams, with a teammate perhaps proving to be a vital ally in any attacks.
Gianluca Brambilla (Etixx-Quickstep) is a good climber but he will have to fight hard if he wants to defend his pink jersey for another day. The climbs will be a real test for Mikel Landa (Team Sky) and Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) after they struggled on the dirt road climb outside of Arezzo and equally an opportunity for Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) to gain more time. The likes of Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale) and Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) will also be looking to bounce back after their disappointing time trials and the road to Sestola offers an early chance to fight back.
Something for the sprinters
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/1WAQEdA
No comments:
Post a Comment