Following a full day of steady climbs, stage 17 should bring a quieter day for the GC favourites and opportunities for the sprinters with a full downhill of 192 kilometres from Pergine Valsugana to Caorle. The profile indeed confirms there are no “topographical impediments”, as Giro organisers point out, and is the flattest stage of this Grand Tour.
The start in Pergine Valsugana is to the east of Trento and steers the peloton away from the Alps to the north of Venice. There are two intermediate sprints on the journey, the first in Rosà just before the mid-point of the stage, and then in Lido di Jesolo, with a little more than 31km to the finish. It is from this section in Lido di Jesolo that the pace can only quicken as sprint teams head north along the Adriatic Coast to the finish on Strada Traghete in the ancient fishing village.
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