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The women's Giro d'Italia route was announced today. The first ten days of July will be running thus:
Stage 01: Roma - Velletri (86 km)
A flat start, although the final couple of kilometres head uphill a bit:
Stage 02: Pescocostanzo - Pescocostanzo (91 km)
Oooh, look. Some climbing and it's only stage two. There's plenty enough here to be selective and result in riders crossing the line in small numbers. The Passo San Leonardo (19.0 km at 4.6%) will kick things off, and that's immediately followed by the Bosco Sant'Antonio (9.4 km at 5.3%). The final couple of kilometres back into Pescocostanzo are uphill at about 5%:
Stage 03: Potenza Picena - Fermo (104.3 km)
No, these climbs aren't big, generally between one and three kilometres in length. But they come one after the other, and get steeper the closer we get to the finish (in fact this looks like the race last year's women's Muri Fermani should have been). Fantastic possibilities:
Stage 04: Forlimpopoli - Forlì (101 km)
That climb at the start isn't as drastic as it looks, and this is another stage for the sprinters:
Stage 05: Altedo - Verona (129 km)
The longest stage of the race. Again, don't be fooled by the graphic, check the height scale on the left to see how flat this is:
Stage 06: Fontanellato - Piacenza (128 km)
And again with the funny profiles. I don't know why, it shouldn't be difficult to make them in proportion. Still sprinters' terrain:
Stage 07: Rovato - Grosotto (122 km)
Yes, that is the Mortirolo, and no, it's not the usual toughest side of it. But there is no easy side of the Mortirolo, so 17.1 km at 6.8% is still on the menu. The descent isn't down the super-steep side either, but it's still steep and will test a few nerves:
Stage 08: Teglio - Valdidentro-Torri di Fraele (70 km)
The gradually climbing run up towards Bormio sees the riders tackle Le Motte (3.1 km at 7.9%) en route to the Torri di Fraele (8.8 km at 7.0%). I'm still unsure, but the final 4 km or so of this climb may be on gravel roads, which would add to the fun:
Stage 09: Agliè - Ceresole Reale (114.8 km)
After a monster transfer, the penultimate day is mostly flat before reaching the last vertical obstacle of the Giro, the climb to Ceresole Reale (16.5 km at 5.3%):
Stage 10: San Francesco al Campo ITT (16 km)
If many things are still undecided by this point, it'll be an interesting parade into and out of San Francesco al Campo. If not... it probably won't be. It's basically flat:
Overall, I'm not a fan of stages eight and nine but I adore stages two and three. I'd like more ITT, and it's a shame the "real" side of the Mortirolo has been neglected, but there's plenty to enjoy.
Before then, there's Gracia-Orlová at the end of April. Usually there's not a great deal of note in its parcours, but the route for this year went online a while ago, and it's actually pretty good.
It starts with a 2.2 km prologue, then stage one is a MTF at Pustevny (7.8km at 6.8%). They start stage two by going over Pustevny again, then three other, smaller climbs (5.8km at 5.2%, 5.3km at 4.6% and 2.7 km at 4.3% respectively) before finishing on the short, partially-cobbled climb to Štramberk (1.3 km at 7.2%). These may not compare to the Giro, but I'm not sure Gracia-Orlová has ever produced two tougher stages, not least back-to-back. Stage three is an ITT, and it's 26 km long rather than the usual 18 km. Believe it or not, stage four is the only one to suit the sprinters.
Taking into account how many races are struggling, it's reassuring to see not only the Giro produce another decent route, but also to see a much smaller race decide to toughen things up. Hopefully the attitude will stick and other races will head the same way.
Stage 01: Roma - Velletri (86 km)
A flat start, although the final couple of kilometres head uphill a bit:
Stage 02: Pescocostanzo - Pescocostanzo (91 km)
Oooh, look. Some climbing and it's only stage two. There's plenty enough here to be selective and result in riders crossing the line in small numbers. The Passo San Leonardo (19.0 km at 4.6%) will kick things off, and that's immediately followed by the Bosco Sant'Antonio (9.4 km at 5.3%). The final couple of kilometres back into Pescocostanzo are uphill at about 5%:
Stage 03: Potenza Picena - Fermo (104.3 km)
No, these climbs aren't big, generally between one and three kilometres in length. But they come one after the other, and get steeper the closer we get to the finish (in fact this looks like the race last year's women's Muri Fermani should have been). Fantastic possibilities:
Stage 04: Forlimpopoli - Forlì (101 km)
That climb at the start isn't as drastic as it looks, and this is another stage for the sprinters:
Stage 05: Altedo - Verona (129 km)
The longest stage of the race. Again, don't be fooled by the graphic, check the height scale on the left to see how flat this is:
Stage 06: Fontanellato - Piacenza (128 km)
And again with the funny profiles. I don't know why, it shouldn't be difficult to make them in proportion. Still sprinters' terrain:
Stage 07: Rovato - Grosotto (122 km)
Yes, that is the Mortirolo, and no, it's not the usual toughest side of it. But there is no easy side of the Mortirolo, so 17.1 km at 6.8% is still on the menu. The descent isn't down the super-steep side either, but it's still steep and will test a few nerves:
Stage 08: Teglio - Valdidentro-Torri di Fraele (70 km)
The gradually climbing run up towards Bormio sees the riders tackle Le Motte (3.1 km at 7.9%) en route to the Torri di Fraele (8.8 km at 7.0%). I'm still unsure, but the final 4 km or so of this climb may be on gravel roads, which would add to the fun:
Stage 09: Agliè - Ceresole Reale (114.8 km)
After a monster transfer, the penultimate day is mostly flat before reaching the last vertical obstacle of the Giro, the climb to Ceresole Reale (16.5 km at 5.3%):
Stage 10: San Francesco al Campo ITT (16 km)
If many things are still undecided by this point, it'll be an interesting parade into and out of San Francesco al Campo. If not... it probably won't be. It's basically flat:
Overall, I'm not a fan of stages eight and nine but I adore stages two and three. I'd like more ITT, and it's a shame the "real" side of the Mortirolo has been neglected, but there's plenty to enjoy.
Before then, there's Gracia-Orlová at the end of April. Usually there's not a great deal of note in its parcours, but the route for this year went online a while ago, and it's actually pretty good.
It starts with a 2.2 km prologue, then stage one is a MTF at Pustevny (7.8km at 6.8%). They start stage two by going over Pustevny again, then three other, smaller climbs (5.8km at 5.2%, 5.3km at 4.6% and 2.7 km at 4.3% respectively) before finishing on the short, partially-cobbled climb to Štramberk (1.3 km at 7.2%). These may not compare to the Giro, but I'm not sure Gracia-Orlová has ever produced two tougher stages, not least back-to-back. Stage three is an ITT, and it's 26 km long rather than the usual 18 km. Believe it or not, stage four is the only one to suit the sprinters.
Taking into account how many races are struggling, it's reassuring to see not only the Giro produce another decent route, but also to see a much smaller race decide to toughen things up. Hopefully the attitude will stick and other races will head the same way.
