Stage 3, from Bibione to Buja in Friuli, marks a step up in difficulty. The 156km route starts out flat before becoming increasingly rolling, with several steep ramps, including the Moruzzo climb, and culminates in a 36.3km finishing circuit, done once.
The key obstacle is the punchy Montenars, 3km long, but truly tough only in its second half, where the gradients are relentlessly in double digits, cresting 17 km from the line, and crucially the terrain is not flat between that summit and the finish.
Sprinters with climbing ability may survive, but the sharp gradients are likely to tempt attackers, making a bunch finish far from guaranteed.
Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
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