2024 Giro d'Italia stage 11 - preview

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After navigating the tough start to the second week behind the breakaway on stage 10's summit finish, race leader Tadej Pogačar and his team should be content to sit in again and let the breakaway battle out stage 11.

Racing kicks off from Foiano di val Fortore in the Campania region with attacks expected right from the flag drop as the road heads up the uncategorised 6.5km climb to San Bartolomeo in Galdo, the perfect launchpad to get away. 

If a break isn't formed there, then the downhill run and deceptively tough category 3 climb at Pietracatella (8.4km at 5.4%) will be another great opportunity in the opening 50km of the stage. This is the only categorised test of the day and should see the likes of Simon Geschke (Cofidis) and Lilian Calmejane (Intermarché-Wanty) trying to get into the move to extend their points tallies. 

From then on in, it's a mainly downhill run to the midpoint of the 207km route before a mainly flat finale from Termoli, heading north up the Adriatic east coast up to the finish in Francavilla al Mare.

The first intermediate sprint of the day comes 74.5km in at Cascalenda with the Intergiro at San Salvo Marina and the bonus seconds sprint coming 34.5km from the line in Fossacesia Marina. 

If a breakaway is to make it to the line for the second successive day at the 2024 Giro d'Italia, the it will have to be comprised of strong rouleurs to survive the flat run up the coast. 

After a big fight for the break on stage 10 and the summit finish to go with, tired legs could mean for less riders trying their luck and the majority of teams wanting to wait it out for another bunch sprint finish.  

If the stage finishes in a sprint then expect the likes of stage 3 winner Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) and stage 4 Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) to be among the favourites but after taking his maiden Grand Tour win into Naples on Sunday, Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) won't play a part due to abandoning the race with a fever ahead of stage 10. 

Also in line to challenge a possible sprint could be Caleb Ewan (Jayco AlUla), Fabio Jakobsen and Tobias Lund Andresen (DSM-Firmenich PostNL), Alberto Dainese (Tudor), Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious), Danny van Poppel (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates).

The final key turn in Francavilla al Mare comes inside the final 3.5km where leadout trains will need to be in prime position before the largely straight final 3km run to the line.

Stage 11 Sprints

• Intermediate sprint, km. 75.4
• Intergiro bonus sprint, km. 137.9
• Time bonus sprint, km. 172.5

Stage 11 Mountains

• Pietracatella (cat. 3), km. 48.4