2009 Giro d'Italia Route Announced

[Skip Madness]

As was the case with the our, many of the details were known beforehand - here are the stages:

(May 09) Stage 01: Lido di Venezia (20.5 km - team time trial)
(May 10) Stage 02: Jesolo - Trieste (156 km)
(May 11) Stage 03: Grado - Valdobbiadene (200 km)
(May 12) Stage 04: Padova - San Martino di Castrozza (165 km - high mountains / mountain-top finish)
(May 13) Stage 05: San Martino di Castrozza - Alpe di Siusi (125 km - high mountains / mountain-top finish)
(May 14) Stage 06: Bressanone/Brixen - Mayrhofen (Austria) (242 km - medium mountains)
(May 15) Stage 07: Innsbruck (Austria) - Chiavenna (244 km)
(May 16) Stage 08: Morbegna - Bergamo (208 km - medium mountains)
(May 17) Stage 09: Milano (155 km)

(May 18) Rest day

(May 19) Stage 10: Cuneo - Pinerolo (250 km - high mountains)
(May 20) Stage 11: Torino - Arenzano (206 km)
(May 21) Stage 12: Sestri Levante - Riomaggiore (61.7 km- individual time trial)
(May 22) Stage 13: Lido di Camaiore - Firenze (150 km)
(May 23) Stage 14: Campi Bisenzio - Bologna (174 km - medium mountains / mountain-top finish)
(May 24) Stage 15: Forlì - Faenza (159 km - medium mountains)
(May 25) Stage 16: Pergola - Monte Petrano (237 km - high mountains / mountain-top finish)

(May 26) Rest day

(May 27) Stage 17: Chieti - Blockhaus (79 km - high mountains / mountain-top finish)
(May 28) Stage 18: Sulmona - Benevento (181 km)
(May 29) Stage 19: Avellino - Vesuvio (164 km - high mountains / mountain-top finish)
(May 30) Stage 20: Napoli - Anagni (203 km)
(May 31) Stage 21: Roma (15.3 km - individual time trial)



It is a fairly brutal parcours - six mountain-top finishes and four other medium or high mountain stages. The rouleurs will like the time trial on stage 12 but elsewhere there is not a great deal of time to make up against the clock. There are eight stages at 200 km or more (four of which are above 230 km), although there are a couple of shorties there, too - most notably the 125 km stage 5 to Alpe di Siusi and, more exciting still, the 79 km road stage 17 to Blockhaus. I believe there are only six stages where the sprinters will really have a chance - the penultimate stage to Anagni has a tricky Ardennes classics-style finish.

I do wonder if it is a little bit too hard - with all the problems we have had with doping in recent years I do not see the logic in having two consecutive stages above 240 km straight after two consecutive mountain-top finishes. I would also like to see the sprinters have a few more chances as too many mountains can ruin a race (which happened in 2006, although Ivan the Terrible did not help by doping).

The stage finishes at Blockhaus and Vesuvio could be immense, although one has to say that the queen stage is 16, from Pergola to Monte Petrano. I will post up details of the mountain stages in a minute.

 

[rich p]

They're starting in the north and heading south. Is that unusual due to the likelihood of adverse weather that early in the season in the Dolomiti?

 

[Dave5N]

Looks good. Lets see what LA is really made of!

 

[Skip Madness]

They're starting in the north and heading south. Is that unusual due to the likelihood of adverse weather that early in the season in the Dolomiti?

I don't know - it may just be to do with the race usually finishing in Milan unlike next year.

Here are the mountain stages:

Stage 04: Padova - San Martino di Castrozza (165 km)
Croce d'Aune - 8.5 km at 7.9%
San Martino di Castrozza - 12.9 km at 5.8%

Stage 05: San Martino di Castrozza - Alpe di Siusi (125 km)
Passo Rolle - 8.0 km at 5.8%
Alpe di Siusi - 24.9 km at 6.1%

Stage 06: Bressanone/Brixen - Mayrhofen (242 km)
Felbertauern Tunnel - 15.2 km at 4.3%
Gerlospass - 11.2 km at 5.9%

Stage 08: Morbegna - Bergamo (208 km)
Culmine di San Pietro - 18.1 km at 3.8%
Colle del Gallo - 7.2 km at 6.0%

Stage 10: Cuneo - Pinerolo (250 km)
Colle della Maddalena - 26.5 km at 3.9%
Col de Vars - 11.6 km at 6.5%
Col d'Izoard - 14.2 km at 7.1%
Col de Montgenèvre - 12.2 km at 5.3%
Sestriere - 11.2 km at 6.3%

Stage 14: Campi Bisenzio - Bologna (174 km)
Passo della Collina - 18.0 km at 4.8%
Valico di Mediano - 14.8 km at 4.0%
Valico di Tolè - 14.6 km at 3.7%
Mongardino - 3.8 km at 5.3%
Bologna (San Luca) - 2.0 km at 10.8%

Stage 15: Forlì - Faenza (159 km)
Passo dell'Eremo - 10.8 km at 4.0%
Colle Carnevale - 5.3 km at 7.4%
Monte Casale - 9.4 km at 4.0%
Monte Trebbio - 7.0 km at 5.4%

Stage 16: Pergola - Monte Petrano (237 km)
Monte della Cesane - 7.8 km at 6.6%
Monte Nerone - 13.4 km at 7.6%
Monte Catria - 11.0 km at 8.0%
Monte Petrano - 10.4 km at 7.9%

Stage 17: Chieti - Blockhaus (79 km)
Blockhaus - 21.0 km at 7.1%

Stage 19: Avellino - Vesuvio (164 km)
Picco Sant'Angelo - 13.3 km at 3.0%
Vesuvio - 13.0 km at 7.4%

 

[Skip Madness]

Looking at the route again, the mountains aren't as over-the-top as I had first thought. There are lots of mountain stages, but in terms of major climbs, if we were to grade them by Tour de France standards, there would probably "only" be twelve first or special category climbs (five first and seven special, I reckon) which is fairly standard for a grand tour and certainly not unusual for the Giro. In terms of super-climbs I think it is a fairly conservative Giro (with Blockhaus as the only super-special category climb, if you will), but the accumulation of second-category climbs will have its toll.

 

[Dave5N]

Bloody hell that lot made me dizzy.