Stage: Parma to Genoa
Distance: 204km
Race times: 11:50-17:15 (CEST)
Stage type: Hilly
Beginning in another gastronomic powerhouse, the peloton face the longest day of the Giro d'Italia on stage 12. Parma is known locally as ‘the little capital’ and is renowned for parmesan cheese and cured meats – google ‘parma’ and the first search result is its ham, rather than the city itself – but there’s a lot more to the place than food.
The Emilia-Romagna region says goodbye to the race as it heads out of Parma and towards Liguria. The first 89.5km of the race is an agonisingly-long false flat with no respite. There’s an intermediate sprint after 55.9km, and the third-category Passo del Bocco provides the first chance for those contesting the KOM competition to score some points as they hit the high point of the day, in terms of altitude, at 957 metres.
From there, just over 20km of descent leads the riders to an intermediate sprint at Ferrada before they head towards the next two cat three tests, the ascents of La Colletta and Valico de Trensasco. The descent from here leads to around 16km of mostly flat terrain towards Genova, an important port city on the Ligurian Sea, famous for its eclectic architecture and for being the birthplace of Christopher Columbus.
The spirit of exploration may take hold among the riders, too. It’s another day for the breakaway artists, and a dozen stages deep into a Grand Tour the fight for a precious stage victory will intensify.
Furthermore, with a clutch of KOM points on offer the fight to join the breakaway could in itself provide the highlight of the race.
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