Route: A very straightforward opening road stage that concludes with three laps of an 11km circuit in Trieste. There's a climb halfway around it that offers the first mountains jersey points on the second pass. The infamous local Bora wind could prove a bigger menace to riders.
Local hero: The last half of the stage runs along the corridor of Italian territory that looks back over Venice. Bordering Slovenia is a growing cycling power, and support for Slovenes Janez Brajkovic and Tadej Valjavec will be very apparent.
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