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2016 Giro d’Italia preview: The course

99th 'corsa rosa' favours time trialists, sprinters

May 2, 2016
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Overview



On Friday the first Grand Tour of the year, the 99th Giro d’Italia, begins in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands with a 10-km, pancake-flat time trial. The reigning champion and reigning runner-up, Alberto Contador and Fabio Aru respectively, are skipping the Giro to concentrate on the Tour de France, but four former champions, including Ryder Hesjedal, are slated to start.

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The corsa rosa tilts towards the time trial specialists and the sprinters, with three chronos and seven stages for the fast-twitch men. Only five road race stages have summit or uphill finishes.

After three days in the Netherlands, with Stages 2 and 3 flat carbon copies of one another, the race takes an early rest day before transferring the whole production to the south of Italy. The course then takes the riders north, with some hilly days in the Apennines, but still plenty to offer the sprinters. The first uphill finish is stage 6, with a long but moderately-graded climb to Roccaraso, which hasn’t been used since the 90’s. Stage 8 includes a graveled Cat. 2 climb that peaks 19-km from the finish.

The second rest day comes after a long, mildly hilly time trial. Then the route heads into the Dolomites via a hilly day in the province of Modena and two very flat stages. A 10.8-km mountain time trial leads to the last rest day.

Turning west, the final week is all about the Alps, with French slopes playing a significant role in the GC scrap. The race concludes with a sprinter’s day in Turin.

Five Key Stages
Stage 9: A mixed first “week” concludes with a 40.4-km, somewhat rolling time trial in Chianti.


Stage 14: The race enters the Dolomites for the first test of hard clambering. Although the stage doesn’t have a summit finish, it packs four climbs into 40-km and hurls the 10-km, 9% Passo Giau and Passo Valparola at the riders near the end of a 210-km day.


Stage 15: The next stage is the second chrono in eight days and third of the race, this one an uphill 10.8-km test where the riders get a little run at an 8.4% climb with double digit pitches.


Stage 19: Into France we go for a stage where the peloton climbs for 22-km (nearly 70-km really) to crest the race’s highest point, or Cima Coppi, atop the Col Agnel, descends for 43-km and then heads up to the Risoul summit finish.


Stage 20: There are three more French ascents for the GC men, including the 24-km Col de la Bonette and 21-km Colle della Lombarda, before the race’s final summit in Italy, a short kick-up to Sant’anna Di Vinadio. Being only 134-km and the last day to skirmish, the action will be hot.

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