Plenty of riders will have spent a nervy rest day contemplating this extraordinary mountain time trial. It starts easy enough, ramps up towards the Passo Furcia, then takes off on a hard-packed dirt road towards the summit. Sections of 20 and 24 per cent slow riders to walking pace and ensure the massive crowds can clearly see the toll it takes on them. Many of them will no doubt be hoping that adverse weather leads to the stage being shortened and finishing on the Passo Furcia as was the case when the Giro first came this way in 2006.
Procycling's favourite to win:
-
Sarah Gigante undergoes iliac artery surgery, will miss Tour Down Under
‘Gutted to miss months of racing but happy to know and fix a problem that has been such a mental and physical struggle’ -
Cabras Cyclocross World Cup cancellation boost for riders who skipped the race
Many riders focused on team training camps instead of traveling to Sardinia -
Cyclocross stars and organisers left counting cost of cancelling third round of World Cup
Extreme weather in Cabras, Sardinia forced the late decision -
Katy Marchant fractures arm in high-speed crash into crowd at Track Champions League
No other serious injuries reported after Marchant and Alessa-Catriona Pröpster flew over barrier
