The legs will be left wobbly and weak from the previous two days in the mountains for the individual test to the never before used Plan de Corones. The climb (1080 metres of climbing) was cut short at the Passo di Furcia due to snow the last time the organisers tried to included it in 2006.
This year race organiser RCS Sport has planned a 12.85-kilometre mountain time trial on the mountain in northeast Italy, which should help see the stage run as programmed. The stage will start in San Vigilio di Marebbe and run 12.6 kilometres before hitting the finale over the sterrato ('gravel road'), which includes sections touching 24 percent gradient.
When the 2007 Tour de France mountain classification winner, Mauricio Soler (Barloworld), tested it in late April, he was left with uncertainty. "It's a hard climb, that's for sure," Soler stated. "It's difficult to say how much it will decide the Giro because when we race here we'll already have two weeks racing in our legs. The race will also be on a better surface than the one we rode today, which has been ruined by the snow." (GB)
Stage Details
-
'This is the last thing I wanted to happen' - Spectator apologises after knocking Mathieu van der Poel off balance during Azencross
Spectator questioned by authorities, organisers announce that no charges will be filed -
'I believed I could turn it into a battle' - two punctures on same rock ends Wout van Aert's clash with Mathieu van der Poel at Azencross
Belgian left disappointed after initially matching World Champion and eternal rival -
X2O Trofee Loenhout-Azencross: Mathieu van der Poel adds another victory to season winning streak as Wout van Aert struggles with double flat tires
1-2 for Alpecin-Deceuninck as Niels Vandeputte takes second, series leader Joris Nieuwenhuis finishes third -
X2O Trofee Loenhout-Azencross: Lucinda Brand continues cyclo-cross winning streak in elite women's race
Dutch rider takes solo win ahead of Kristyna Zemanová and Manon Bakker
