The Giro d'Italia has always tended to be won and lost in the final week, and, on first glance, this year's route appears to take that concept to new extremes. As ever, the toughest days are shoehorned into the latter part of race, but, this time around, the first mountain leg doesn't arrive until stage 13.
Indeed, the only uphill finishes on offer in the first half of the race come in time trials – namely the short, sharp hill climb in Bologna on stage 1, and the steadier grind from Rimini to San Marino on stage 9. Logic says that those two time trials will define the general classification ahead of the race's entry into the Alps at the end of week two, but, as recent history demonstrates, a Giro can sometimes take on a life of its own.
The 2015 route, for instance, was strikingly similar to this year's, with the main obstacles backloaded to the final week in a bid to entice the luminaries of Grand Tour racing to take on both the Giro and Tour. In the event, Alberto Contador was the only man to take on the challenge, but while the route seemed amenable to his double attempt, the opening fortnight proved rather more wearying than anticipated, thanks largely to the constant aggression of the Astana team.
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A year ago, meanwhile, Esteban Chaves' challenge fell apart in the most unexpected of circumstances on the road to Gualdo Tadino on stage 10, while the stage to Sappada provoked bigger time gaps than the preceding afternoon's rather-more-hyped haul up the Zoncolan.
In short, anything can happen on any given day at the Giro. The topography of the country and the nature of the race make it so. The key stages of the Giro – the time trials and the mountain days – are obvious, but all along the peninsula, there is ample opportunity for ambushes.
Stage 2, May 12: Bologna – Fucecchio, 205km
It's difficult to envisage the opening road stage of the Giro ending in anything other than a bunch sprint, not least because of the rapid approach to the finish in Fucecchio and the organisation of teams such as Elia Viviani's Deceuninck-QuickStep. That's not to say, however, that stage 2 is bereft of potential pitfalls for the general classification contenders.
Stage 6, May 16: Cassino – San Giovanni Rotondo, 233km
Stage 7, May 17: Vasto – L'Aquila, 185km
Stage 12, May 23: Cuneo – Pinerolo, 146km
Stage 15, May 26: Ivrea – Como, 232km
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/giro-ditalia-2019-the-ambush-stages
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