All the stages are online at the Giro website but here’s a closer look at the route, the highlights and the likely contenders. A theme? The presentation today didn’t really offer a story for the 2. The pundits on stage were keen to say the Giro can be used to tell the story of Italy but didn’t put a story the route. Three time trials, including one mountain stage. Six likely sprint finishes. Six stages over 2. Seven mountain stages including five summit finishes. Route Summary: compared to 2. GC contenders went on the attack all the time. Instead it’s a classic route albeit with fewer mountain stages, there are only four high mountain stages. One for the all- round stage race riders? Perhaps but the mid- mountain stages reward the bold too. The first three stages are in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands opening with a 9. Friday 8 May and then two road stages over the weekend, if you’re not a local this might not set your heart racing but the traffic calming measures on Dutch roads will prove highly stressful for the peloton before the transfer flight to south of Italy. Stage 6 features the first summit finish of the race. As usual the Giro’s first summit finish is a test of form but is not meant to settle things. Still the climb to the ski resort of Aremogna features some tough 7% ramps to force a selection. Stage 8 goes to Arezzo and as the profile flashed up it looked bad for a moment with a flat finish: no uphill run into the historic part of town? Fear not the alternative is just as good, instead of the medieval flagstones the race will showcase the sterrata, better known to cycling fans as the strade bianche gravel roads on the climb of the Alpe di Poti. Stage 9 is the crucial time trial. It celebrates the Chianti wines but vines are not merely a backdrop, the propitious terrain for wine- making means rolling hills and exposed roads. It climbs with 7. Steven Kruijswijk proves unflappable in the Giro mountains, defending his pink jersey as Alejandro Valverde wins the day. As the 99th Giro d’Italia comes to an end, we take a look back at the best images from the final six stages of the race. The Giro isn’t over and Kruijswijk’s got two giant mountain stages to contend with but his ride today will give him confidence and push. Giro d'Italia 2016, stage 15 description, map and profile: Sunday, May 22. Stage 16 - Giro d'Italia 2015 - Final Kilometers Watch more! 2016 Giro d’Italia – Stages. 16: May 24, 2016: Bressanone/Brixen – Andalo: 133 km (83 mi) Medium-mountain stage: 17: May 25, 2016: Molveno – Cassano d’Adda. Stage 1. 0 is a medium mountain stage with hard climbing later on, revisiting Sestola which featured in 2. Pieter Weening won – but with a different route to the finish. Stage 1. 3 is looks small compared to the high Alpine peaks but there’s still 3,4. The Cima Porzus is 8km at 1. Valle, 6km at 8%. Stage 1. 4 is a marathon mountain stage, literally so as it borrows the route of the Maratona dles Dolomites gran fondo and RCS and the Maratona have worked together to make this happen. Look at the six- pack of the climbs: Pordoi, Sella, Gardena, Campolongo, Giau and Valparola. Stage 1. 9 sees the Tour d’Italie ride over to France, weather permitting, via the interminable Colle dell’Agnello, aka the Col d’Agnel before the summit finish to Risoul which last featured in the 2. Tour de France. It’s 1. Stage 2. 0 is the final mountain stage before the procession to Turin. It’s just 1. 34km and starts in France, in fact it’s very reminiscent of the trend in the Tour de France to feature a short and spiky mountain stage as the last chance and should offer action from start to finish. Provisional route? The Giro has had problems with snow in the mountains before and the 2. Mother Nature with a series of high altitude passes, several of which will have to be opened prematurely in order to let the race through. Take the Col d’Agnel on the Franco- Italian border, at 2,7. Europe’s third highest mountain pass and it normally opens in June but will be climbed on 2. May. Yes but it’s first a question of sending the snow- ploughs up early, then crossing fingers because any Alpine ride in May means hoping for the best but the high altitude raises the risks. Three TTs. Three solo time trials in one race but is this enough to tempt a stage racer away from the Tour de France? We’ll have to see the Tour route on 2. October which is likely to have two time trials anyway. For the Giro there maybe three stages but it’s just with 6. Long Days. There are six stages over 2. Energy. The maglia rosa will be sponsored by ENEL, Italy’s largest energy company and a coup for the race as it lands a giant corporate sponsor to replace the smaller biscuit maker Balocco. Giro- Tour double. Stage race specialists have to make a choice between the Giro and the Tour and as discussed before this is a problem for RCS are Contador’s struggles in July mean those who want to win the Tour will skip the Giro, leaving the Italian race without a lot of star names. The lack of stars doesn’t make the race less exciting, it’s all about the relative contests between riders and teams and if anything it could bring more surprises. The Contenders. Will Vincenzo Nibali ride? There’s the small matter of Astana team politics with him and Fabio Aru working out who does what next year regarding captaincy for the Tour de France. It seems Nibali is likely to ride the Giro and Aru the Tour as the Sardinian is in the ascendancy. Either way both are the obvious picks. The Giro’s problem is attracting others away from the Tour de France. Team Sky have so many riders it’s a question of who is surplus to requirements for July. Will Geraint Thomas go all in for his tilt at a grand tour or perhaps it’s new signing Mikel Landa with Leopold K. Richie Porte and Rigoberto Uran come to mind, especially given their abilities against the clock. Uran is moving to Cannondale- Garmin and would have a whole team dedicated to supporting him in the venture while Porte’s choice is dependent on his aims for the Tour de France and the competing ambitions of Tejay van Garderen and Rohan Dennis. Orica- Greenedge will have to plan for Esteban Chaves and the Yates Brothers. Robert Gesink rode high in the Tour de France and could be tempted by a shot at the Giro podium. There are locals like Domenico Pozzovivo who will be joined by team mate J- C P? PezCycling News - What's Cool In Pro Cycling : GIRO’16 St.16: Valiant Valverde’s First Giro Victory! Find out the latest news, stage reports, race scores and expert analysis from the 2016 Giro d'Italia Stage 16. Cyclingnews.com: The world centre of cycling. Amazon.com : Giro 2015/16 Compass Winter Snow Goggles (Ano Orange Gameday - Amber Scarlet) : Sports & Outdoors. Could Thibaut Pinot try? He’s an excellent climber, time trials well, rides better in the cold than the heat and thrives in Italy plus this is a chance to lead a grand tour away from the pressure- cooker environment of July. But he’s French and leads a French team so it looks impossible. Stage 1. 6 - Giro d'Italia 2. Official Site. The stage is short, yet it features long climbs and descents. Here, after clearing the Mendel Pass climb, the road takes a long, undulating descent leading to the foot of the final ascent. The climb is divided in two parts, the first one leading to Fai della Paganella (categorised climb), and the second one running all the way up to the finish. Next comes a false- flat uphill drag. The finish line lies on an 8.
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