For three consecutive days, Alberto Contador has sat before the Giro d’Italia press corps and insisted that the race is not over, despite his commanding advantage at the top of the overall standings, and as he did so, it was hard not to be reminded of similar protestations from his fellow countryman Miguel Indurain as he dominated Grand Tours in the early 1990s.
Contador is being diplomatic, of course, but he is not entirely wrong. True, an advantage of 2:35 over a seemingly flagging Fabio Aru (Astana) seems unassailable for a rider of Contador’s experience, and yes, the other pre-race favourites have either been eliminated from contention (Rigoberto Urán) or forced out altogether (Richie Porte), but there are still more than a thousand kilometres between here and Milan, as well as the three toughest stages of the Giro.
The most daunting of them comes on Tuesday, as the peloton returns to action after the second rest day at Madonna di Campiglio and faces directly into the tappone from Pinzolo to Aprica, which features the Campo Carlo Magno, the Passo del Tonale and the mighty Mortirolo, which is set between two treks over the short haul to the finish.
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The Mortirolo, understandably, grabs the attention. Since its first appearance at the Giro in 1990, few climbs have built up such prestige in such a short space of time. Its introduction came about in part due to its altitude – at 1,854 metres, it avoided the same high risk of snow presented by the neighbouring giant, the Gavia – but its reputation has been forged by its difficulty.
Stage 16 tackles the “classic” ascent of the Mortirolo, climbing from Mazzo di Valtellina and dropping to Edolo, and while extreme gradients are almost par for the course in modern cycling, the climb’s slopes – which touch 18% and average 10.9% over its 12.8 kilometres – were a most intimidating novelty when thrust upon the peloton in the 1990s.
The success of the Mortirolo – and in particular, the duel between Marco Pantani and Indurain in 1994 – triggered a scramble for steeper and steeper gradients. The Vuelta a España added the Angliru in 1999, for instance, and – not to be outdone – the Giro responded with the Zoncolan.
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