The Giro last went into Puglia in 2008 when Giovanni Visconti, now leader at ISD-Neri, took the maglia rosa on a similarly long stage into Peschici. But that finish suited climbers more than this one, where strong rouleurs should be prominent, especially if it's road-meltingly hot. They will want to get into a group that has a decent advantage once the bumps of Italy's spine are behind them, consequently giving them a good chance of success as the road drops down towards the coast.
Procycling's favourite to win:
-
Amazon Prime Day bike deals: The sale is almost finished, this is your last chance to grab yourself a deal
Don't hang around, Amazon Prime Day is coming to an end but there are still some great deals available -
Where's the beef? The UAE-Visma Tour de France rivalry is intense but respectful so far
"UAE and Visma are perhaps the strongest teams but only one can win," says Mauro Gianetti -
'I wonder how they recover like that every day' – Mathieu van der Poel loses yellow jersey at Tour de France as Grand Tour fatigue sets in
Dutchman more than satisfied with performance in first seven stages despite getting dropped on return to Mûr-de-Bretagne -
'I don't know if I'm getting any closer to that win' – Oscar Onley best of the rest behind Pogačar and Vingegaard on Tour de France stage 7
World champion says young Scot has 'showed in the past already how a superb rider he is, with a punchy kick' after third place at Mûr-de-Bretagne
