After a stage when only those sprinters who also thrive in the Classics are likely to feature in the final mix, this is a much more straightforward stage for the gruppo’s fastmen. It begins in Porto Sant’Elpidio, a finish town in the 2012 Giro and regularly a feature on the route of Tirreno-Adriatico. Stage 11 continues the race’s northerly trajectory, following the Adriatic coast for the most part.
The first intermediate sprint arrives at Pesaro, just prior to the only climb of the day, the fourth-category Monte San Bartolo. Beyond this little test, the route turns inland to Coriano, site of the second intermediate sprint, and circles around the finish town of Rimini in order to enter the Adriatic resort from the north.
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Rimini is, of course, the town where Marco Pantani died on 14 February 2004, and there is plenty of reminiscing about the legendary Italian climber, who came from nearby Cesenatico. Yet, this clearly isn’t the kind of stage where Pantani would have made an impression. Rather than head further inland and into the hills where the Italian used to train, the route turns back into Rimini.
The final half dozen kilometres feature several tight turns that will take the riders back to the sea. There are more twists and turns between three and two kilometres to go, followed by a 1,500-metre-long straight. Positioning towards the end of this section will be vital because at the end of it there are consecutive 90-degree left-handers, from which there are just 600 metres left to the finish line. Any sprinter sitting behind a couple of teammates coming out of this corner is going to be difficult to beat.
