A short transition stage to take the race to the foot of the Alps only without the foothills. It’s flat and one of the last chances for the sprinters.
Predictable? Yes that’s why today’s preview also includes a tale about the Calabrian mafia plus the the nearby Colle del Nivolet, the highest mountain pass in Europe you’ve probably never heard of.
So far the “fight for pink” has been a group hug with riders marking each other. Exclude Domenico Pozzovivo’s 30 second raid to Sestola last Sunday and most of the time gaps on GC have been created when the riders weren’t racing together, whether in the team time trial or following the Montecassino crash. All change today as riders are forced to show their form.
A lot of riders will have had today’s stage marked in their diaries for months. Too hilly for the sprinters and not decisive enough for the overall contenders. Perfect for a breakaway.
The clip above is from last Sunday’s final stage of the Tour of California but it’s also a glimpse of the future. We get a new angle of racing and an additional soundtrack too.
For the devoted fan any extra footage is good but there’s plenty of work to be done before on bike cams and race footage from the peloton becomes essential viewing.
Stage 10, we’re in to double digits now. Today’s stage is a mini gastronomic tour starting in the vinegar capital of Italy and including a ride straight through the city of Parma, city of hams, on to the small spa town of Salsomaggiore.
It could almost be a tourist spin. But it’s a stage for the sprinters even if that little bump at the end is perfect for a late attack.
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Who can break the hour record? Tony Martin? Bradley Wiggins? Fabian Cancellara? Taylor Phinney? All four can do it but the record is now open to hundreds of riders around the world. Chile’s Carlos Oyarzún can probably do it.
How so? The UCI announced a change of the Hour Record rules last week. There are two conclusions. First a rider can use any approved UCI track bike complete with tri bars, disc wheels and clothing rather than the classic “Merckx” bike with drop bars and low profile rims. Second the hour record has been re-established at 49.700km. Roll up, roll up.
The second of two selective Apennine mountain stages, today’s stage has a different feel with wider, more accessible roads. Today should be easier.
The first “reveal” of the race and one of two mountain stages in the under-rated Apennines mountain range, this 179km stage climbs Monte Carpegna first on one flank and then another with conclusive 13% ramps just before the finish line. Both are extremely difficult climbs with narrow roads and double-digit gradients. This is no medium mountain prelude to the Alps.